Michael's Little Problem
by 112908
Summary: Michael's first partner in the spy game was none other than Larry Sizemore. After Larry's mysterious death, Michael is unexpectedly saddled with a child, Larry's daughter. What does a spy do with a little girl? Well for starters, he calls his mom...
1. Chapter 1

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter One

_Czech Republic, 1992_

_Michael Westen POV_

_Ring Ring! Ring Ring!_ I sprang out of bed and knocked over my yogurt cup from last night in the process. This would surely be the phone call from my handler, Dan Siebels, that I had been waiting for.

"Hello?"

"Hey Michael, it's Dan…"

"Oh, hey Dan, did you get my message about being transferred?"

"Yeah Mike, I did. I gotta tell you, I never thought you would request to stop working with Larry. We have an assignment in Ireland, and we would need you there in three days if you want to go through with this for sure."

"Thanks Dan, I think this is truly for the best. Things have been getting a little strange with Larry the last couple months, and I think it's time for a change."

"Whatever you say Mike, I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to break the news to Larry. He seems to have a strange obsession with you." Dan laughed.

"Must be my good looks. Well, I should be getting to Larry's place now to break the news. Thanks for this Dan, I owe you a Sprite." I knew that Dan was a Sprite junkie.

"Alright, good luck Michael, and stay safe."

Satisfied with the news that I would be leaving in just a few days time, I started to pack my duffel, and while packing up the various weapons I had with me, I started to think about my downward spiral with Larry.

What I didn't tell Dan was that things with Larry Sizemore had been getting weird for the past year. When I first started working with Larry, I liked the aspect of danger that always seemed to follow in his wake. I turned into a different person when I worked with Larry, and for a while I liked the person I was turning into. For two years, Larry and I ran around Europe together wreaking havoc, and doing good spy work for America. Other than the annoying nickname Larry had given me, "kid" things were going great between us. That is, until Larry found out about Lily.

About a year ago, when Larry and I had first arrived in the Czech Republic, Larry broke the news to me that he had a five year old daughter. Larry explained that Lily was living with her mother, who had retired from being a spy, but her mother had recently been killed in a car accident.

"You're never gonna believe this kid, the mother just went and got herself killed, and now I'm stuck with the girl!" Larry had fumed.

At first, Larry was upset that he would have Lily with him, and he told me not to tell anyone about her. Larry said he didn't want his kid to be the reason he had to get out of the spy game. Then, Larry had a "brilliant" idea. Lily would become part of Larry's cover ID. I immediately saw this as a red flag. I would never do something as stupid as involve a kid in the spy world, and Larry seemed to think this was a good idea. I told Larry my concerns, but Larry shook me off.

"She's my daughter and I'll do what I want with her! Stay out of this one kid." I knew not to question Larry any further from past experience. His mood could change on a dime, and although I could handle Larry's wrath, an innocent bystander caught in the wake of his explosion would not.

This was the point that I saw as the beginning of the end of my partnership with Larry. If Larry would go as far as to involve his daughter in his spy life to enhance his career, I could not be a part of it.

For the better part of the next year, Larry started to bring Lily along on his missions, as I continued to disapprove of this. Larry would use Lily for things like getting into buildings. He would make Lily say she had to use the bathroom, while Larry would play the anxious father who desperately needed to find a bathroom for his daughter in the building. While this worked like a charm for getting Larry into these buildings, I still saw this as dangerous. I saw that Lily needed attention that Larry was not giving her, so I tried to entertain her whenever I had some time to spare, which I'm sorry to say was not very often. A couple weeks ago, I finally decided I could not stand by and watch Larry put his daughter in danger, and that was when I decided to call Dan, and set up the transfer.

Lost in thought, I walked out of my apartment, and went on my way to Larry's hideout. I had decided that I would try to convince Larry to give Lily up for adoption, because I had grown attached to her, and did not want to see her suffer with Larry any longer.

Soon enough, I had arrived at Larry's hideout, and just as I was about to open the door, it flew open.

"Thank God you're here Mike; I need you to watch the kid. I have to go run an errand." Larry explained hastily.

"Larry we really need to talk, I need to tell you something important."

"It's gonna have to wait Mike, this is more important. If you don't wanna stay with the girl, I'm leaving her here alone."

I agreed, obviously not wanting to leave Lily to fend for herself. I passed the time by allowing Lily to play with my sunglasses. One of her favorite things to do was to take my sunglasses from me and hide them, and then make me search for them. When I found them, Lily would take them away again and say:

"Again, again!" And she would proceed to hide the glasses again. I wondered how this could possibly be so entertaining for Lily, but then she probably spent a lot of her time doing nothing when Larry was around. He wasn't too keen on entertaining her, as he was so involved in his own life.

Lily and I were at it for about an hour when she finally tired herself out, and laid down for a nap. I was really starting to worry about Larry at this point, but I decided to give him another few hours. Having nothing to do with myself, I started to get bored, and drifted off to sleep.

_Ring Ring! Ring Ring!_

I shot up for the second time that day and answered my cell.

"Larry?" I said sleepily.

"No Mike, it's Sam!" Sam Axe was a good friend of mine who was serving with the Navy Seals.

"What's up Sam?"

"Did you hear about Larry, Mike?"

"No what happened?" I already had a bad feeling about this.

"He got killed! My buddy said he went into a building, and never came out, and fifteen minutes later the whole thing blew up!"

"Oh my god Sam, I have his kid, Lily!"

"I didn't even know he had a daughter! Wow that's Larry for you. That jack ass even put kids in danger to get what he wanted. That's some heavy stuff, I wish I could tell you what to do here, but I just don't know. I know the kid is better off without him, but good luck Mikey you're gonna need it."

"Thanks Sam." I said.

"Anytime brother, I just thought you should know about Larry."

I sat back down on the couch and took a look at Lily. She was still sound asleep.

"What am I going to do with you?" I wondered out loud.

…

As Lily slept on the couch, oblivious to the fact that her father was dead and I was now responsible for her well-being, I was frantically trying to figure out what I was going to do with her. There really weren't that many options available to me. Unlike Larry, I knew as a spy travelling around the world I could not be responsible for a child.

I pulled Larry's last yogurt out of the refrigerator, and thought out the options as I ate it. Option one: take Lily to the nearest adoption center, and never look back. This was not a road that I wanted to take, although I knew it would be by far the easiest. I had grown very attached to Lily, even if I had trouble admitting it to myself. Throwing her in an orphanage would just make me feel guilty, and guilt is something a spy does not want to live with. Definite no for option one.

Option two: pay for Lily to attend boarding school, and try to make the occasional visit during the year. This seemed like a decent option for me to take, but upon further thought, I decided it might be too expensive. I was really just starting out as a spy, and financially I was far from stable. Not to mention the fact that Lily was just too young to be off on her own, even if she would be at a boarding school. And even though Larry was a horrible father, the fact of the matter was he was her father and it would be hard on Lily to grow up with no family in her life. Wait a second…

"Family…"

Could I really be crazy enough to ask my parents to take care of Lily? I knew my mother would be fairly easy to convince, but my father on the other hand was a whole different story. I couldn't think of one time in my life where he had actually done me a favor. It was always the other way around, but if I could somehow convince my parents to take Lily in, it would be the best possible solution for her. She would have my mother to look after her, and maybe even my brother Nate would lend a hand. He wasn't the most stable person, but I knew he could care for a child, especially if I asked him to help. I glanced at the sleeping Lily.

"Well, it's worth a try…"

Lily woke up about twenty minutes later. I had been packing a bag of her stuff when I heard her stirring on the couch.

"Michael where's daddy?" She asked.

I had no clue what to say to her. All I could come up with was, "Your daddy's not coming back Lily, you're going to come on a trip with me to Miami to meet my parents."

"Okay Michael."

Is that it? Wow, I hadn't realized Lily was so unattached to Larry. It was amazing to me that a little girl could have absolutely no connection with her father, but then again I thought of myself and my father. No connections there…

Now that Lily knew that Larry was not coming back, I felt much better. I finished packing Lily's things, and made her a quick sandwich before we left for the airport. I chose a flight that was scheduled to land in Miami around 10:00am the next morning, and as Lily and I waited to board the flight, I prepared to make the dreaded phone call to my mother.

I almost wished she didn't pick up the phone, so I could just leave a message, but of course, she did.

"Hello?" My mother's voice sounded like gravel after years of chain smoking.

"Hi mom, it's Michael."

"Oh, Michael! It's so wonderful to hear from you! Your father will be thrilled! Frank! Your son is on the phone!" She shouted into the receiver. I was practically listening to the phone at an arm's length.

I could almost hear my father grumbling from the other room. If I had to guess, it was probably something along the lines of "who cares."

"That's great, mom. I just wanted to let you know that I will be in town tomorrow morning, and I'm coming by the house with someone I want you and dad to meet. I'm hoping you will be able to do me a huge favor." I tried to say this as fast as possible, because I wanted to limit this conversation as much as I could.

"Okay great, honey! Who is this person you want us to meet? Do you have a girlfriend? Are you getting married? How come you never call me?" Oh great. Here come the questions.

"No mom it's nothing like that, I have to tell you what's going on in person. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow around 12." I replied, hoping this conversation would just come to an end.

"Okay honey, have a safe trip!"

"Bye, mom." I could already feel a headache coming on just from that short conversation. I bought a bottle of aspirin at the airport just for insurance for the next day. In all honesty, though, I could only hope my conversation with my parents in person would go as smoothly as it did on the phone. I hoped this for Lily's sake, but I knew that whenever my father was involved, situations tended to escalate into major conflicts.

As I settled into my seat in the waiting area at the airport, I could only think of Lily, and what I would do with her if my parents refused to help out. I would never be able to take her with me to Ireland. As I opened my magazine, I suddenly had a mental picture of me running through the Irish countryside with Lily in one arm, and a gun in the other. I chuckled to myself at the image I was creating in my head, and started turning through the pages, all the while keeping an eye on the quiet little girl sitting next to me with her head on my shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter Two

_Miami, FL 1992_

_Michael Westen POV_

After what seemed like hours, Lily and I finally boarded the plane headed for Miami. While we were waiting for the plane, I contemplated what I would say to Lily about leaving her with my parents if they agreed to take her in. I hadn't exactly been direct with her when I told her why we were going to Miami. Lily's life so far had been full of constant surprises, and I didn't want it to come as a shock to her when I left her with my parents. How on earth could I tell her I was leaving her alone? In the end, I just decided to take a direct approach to the matter.

After Lily and I were situated in our seats, and the plane had just taken off, I broke the news. "Lily, I need to tell you something about our trip to Miami that I didn't tell you yesterday."

"What is it, Michael?" She replied hesitantly.

"Well Lily, I was hoping that my parents would agree to let you live with them. I'm going away on a new assignment, and I just can't take you with me."

"Why not Michael? I can help you like I helped daddy! I'm good at pretending, I swear!" She wasn't taking this well, but I was prepared for this.

"I know you're good at pretending Lily, but I just can't put you in danger. Your dad might have thought it was okay, but putting a little girl like you in harm's way is just not something I can ever do. You'll like living at my house. My mom is a wonderful woman, and I know she'll treat you far better than your father or I ever could."

"What if she doesn't like me?" Lily asked. Her eyes were filling up with tears now.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll like you! What's not to like?" I ruffled Lily's hair, and she laughed with a sniffle.

She looked up at me again and her puppy dog eyes were in full effect. "But Michael, I'll never get to see you!"

My heart dropped and I put my arm around her. "I'll try my best to visit, and I'll send you postcards every chance I get, Lily. I won't ever forget about you." I wanted to assure Lily that I would still be a part of her life even if I was halfway around the world.

Lily nodded, and seemed to accept my answer. I couldn't think of anything else to say to make her feel better, so we just sat there in silence for a while. I couldn't help but think that I would not be too happy if I were in Lily's shoes at the moment. After being forced to be part of Larry's cover ID for a year, and live with the guy, she found out he was dead and she was stuck with me. I was reasonably sure that Lily liked me, but what if she was just putting on a happy face to please me? I looked over at Lily. She looked sleepy, but seemed to be trying to stay awake.

"Lily, go to sleep if you're tired. Try to put tomorrow out of your head for now. Let me worry about it, okay?"

"Okay Michael." She replied, and she closed her eyes to try and go to sleep. I, on the other hand, was not tired at all. Thoughts about what I would say to my parents tomorrow were swirling around in my head, and it seemed sleep would never come. I wasn't only thinking about what I was going to tell my parents the next day, I was thinking about why I was going through all this trouble for a little girl I had only known for a year. The truth was I felt like I let Lily down just by standing by while Larry constantly put her in danger. I owed her more than that, and I was determined to make up for my past mistakes in her life. Besides owing Lily, a small part of me knew that I was also helping Lily because I wanted to do right by Larry. He wasn't a perfect person, but he served as my mentor as a spy for a long time. I would give back to him the only way that was left, through helping his daughter.

…

We landed in Miami around ten in the morning, just as it was scheduled. An hour and a half after we landed, we were safely in the rental car, and on our way to my house. Lily seemed very quiet and subdued. I was sure she was worried about what was about to happen at my house. "Don't worry, Lily. I have a good feeling about this. Can you do me a favor when we're at the house?"

"Okay, what should I do?" Lily asked, eager to help.

"Smile real big in front of my mom, okay Lily? She won't be able to say no once you show her how cute you are." My mom would fall for Lily's puppy dog eyes and smile any day.

"Okay Michael, I guess I can do that." She replied. She gave me a grin to show me she was happy, and I grinned right back.

We arrived at the house right on schedule at noon. I took a deep breath and took Lily's hand and led her to the door. My mother opened it before I could even knock. No doubt she had been watching for us for the last two hours. My mother wore a shocked expression on her face.

"Michael! So nice to see you! And who is this?" She added, looking at me expectantly.

"This is Lily, mom. Why don't we talk in the kitchen?" I replied. As we were walking to the kitchen, my mom pulled me aside.

"Oh my god Michael, is this your daughter? And this is the first time I'm meeting her? What is wrong with you?" She admonished.

"Ma, it's nothing like that, let's sit down so I can explain. Do you have something for Lily to do while we talk?" My mother pulled out a picture book for Lily to look at while we sat down in the kitchen.

"This is what happened mom. Lily is the daughter of one of my coworkers. I happened to be watching her the day my coworker was killed, and now she's my responsibility. She has no one else. I wish I could take her with me, but I just can't. It would be a huge favor to me if you and dad were able to look after her while I'm away. Where is dad anyway?"

"Michael, we don't even know this little girl, and she doesn't know us! I just don't know if I can do this, and you know how your father is. He's in the garage working on the Charger. I told him to come in, but he didn't want to." She paused and looked down at the table then back at me. "Have you considered leaving her at an orphanage? I know it sounds bad, but there has to be a nice family that would take her in."

"Of course I thought about that, mom. But I just can't take the chance that she would end up in a bad situation. I feel like I'm all she has left and Lily is a great kid. And her father really taught me a lot with my job, I owe this to him. I know she wouldn't be trouble for you at all." Lily chose this moment to look over at my mom and flash a million dollar smile. I looked over at my mom and knew at that moment that she was convinced.

My mom smiled back and then flashed me a dirty look. "What'd you pay her to do that?" She accused. I chose to just smile at my mom instead of saying anything.

"So it's a yes?"

"Yes Michael, I'll do it." It was a reluctant yes, but that was all I needed. "But you have to convince your father as well. I suppose Lily hasn't eaten any lunch yet?" I shook my head no, and my mother got up to start preparing lunch. The hard part about this was going to be convincing my father. Satisfied that at least my mother was on board, I got up from the table to go out to the garage. Lily bolted up right when I did.

"Michael, can we play hide the glasses?" She whispered.

"Of course, why don't you hide the glasses while I step outside for a minute?" I hoped this would keep Lily busy while I talked to my dad. She didn't seem to want to be alone. I handed her the glasses and she scampered away while I made my way to the garage. As I walked into the garage, I could already feel myself starting to get angry. My father had a knack for making my blood pressure rise just with his mere presence. When I walked into the garage, I saw my father leaning over the Charger's engine with a wrench.

"Hi dad." I started.

"What do you want, boy?" Wonderful start.

"Well dad, if you would have come in the house when I arrived I could have told you, but I'll just say it again." Calm down Michael…My father stood up and glared at me to continue.

"The man I've been working with for the past few years found out he had a daughter about a year ago. She's been living with him for the past year, but he died recently. I happened to be the one staying with her when he died, so now she is my responsibility. With my job, I can't take care of a child, so I was hoping you guys would be able to take her in." I said this as fast as possible.

"Wait a minute boy, you're telling me you got stuck with a kid, and now you're dumping her with us? No way! Take the kid to an orphanage, I don't want her." He wasn't taking this well.

"Dad, mom already said yes, and I'm not dumping her with you! I'm going to keep in touch with her, and I'll send money every month to help pay for the things she may need."

"Yeah yeah, likely story, you say you're gonna do these things, but you'll never come back and you know it boy!" He stormed. My blood boiled over.

"If you think I'd walk out on this girl and never come back, you don't know me very well dad. I care about her, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure she has the best life possible. I've never asked for anything from you, and now you're gonna just say no? I took your crap for eighteen years! I'm just asking for this one thing. I'm not asking you to be her father, I'm just asking you to let her live here. Mom will take care of the rest." I insisted. My father seemed at a loss for words. Clearly, what I said had upset him. The truth hurts.

"Fine! Leave her here, but don't expect me to do anything for her! Now get out of here, I don't wanna see your face for another second." He snarled.

"Don't worry dad, the feeling is mutual." I spat right back. I stormed back in the direction of the house. Well, that went well.

When I arrived back in the house, my mom was sitting at the kitchen table with Lily while she ate her lunch. She was asking Lily if I had any "lady friends" that she knew about. Of course, my mother would be trying to pry information out of Lily the first chance she got.

"I don't have a girlfriend mom. Dad agreed." I said shortly.

"That's great Michael. How long will you be staying?" Mom asked.

"I have a job I have to report to tomorrow, so I have to leave as soon as possible mom. I'm just going to get Lily situated, and then I'll be on my way." I replied.

"Okay Michael." Mom replied sadly. I felt bad leaving right away, but in all honesty, I couldn't stand to be around my father for another minute.

"Lily, let's go set your stuff up in my old room, okay?"

"Okay Michael." Lily said, hopping out of the chair. We brought her stuff up to my old room and I put her clothes in the dresser. My room was like a trip back to high school, and it was immediately clear that my mom would have to do some redecorating.

"Do you like it here, Lily?" I hoped she did.

"I like your mom, Michael. She tells funny stories about you!" Oh great, nothing but laughs at the Westen house. Well, at least Lily seemed happy.

"That's great Lily, I'm glad you like it." I patted my pockets for my sunglasses, but then I realized that Lily had hidden them. She bounced up and down the whole time while I searched for them.

"Gosh Lily you're really getting good at this! I give up; will you tell me where my glasses are?" I asked with a smile.

"In my pocket!" She giggled. She handed them back to me, and I put them on. After I got my glasses back, Lily persuaded me to play three games of go fish with her before I finally had to leave. I wanted to stay longer, but I couldn't miss my plane.

When we got to the front door, I expected Lily to just wave goodbye, but instead she launched herself into my arms. "Bye, Michael." She whispered in my ear. I patted her on the back and returned her hug. I set Lily back on the ground and hugged my mother goodbye. She walked out with me to the car while Lily waited on the front porch.

"Mom, dad said yes but I could tell he wasn't happy about it. I need you to look after Lily because I know he isn't going to help. I'm sorry I'm sticking you with this responsibility, but I feel like I have no other choice." I stopped and took a deep breath before I said what had been on my mind for the past few days. "Mom, she needs someone to love her and keep her safe. I can't do that right now, but I'm counting on you."

My mom hugged me. "I know, Michael. Lily is going to be fine. Trust me." I felt relieved and I gave Lily and my mom a final wave before I drove off.


	3. Chapter 3

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter 3

1 Year Later

Dublin, Ireland

_Michael Westen POV_

As I stepped into the crowded Dublin airport on my way home after a year away from Lily and my family, I couldn't help but think what a crazy year I had had since I left Lily with my parents. I had arrived in Ireland, and a few weeks later I met Fiona Glenanne. Fiona works for the IRA, and specializes in weapons and explosives. She has a fiery personality as well, and it hasn't been an easy relationship, but I must admit, I'm happy when I'm with her. What Fiona doesn't know though, is what I'm doing this weekend. I told Fiona that I was going away on assignment for the weekend, but in reality I got leave for a weekend. I had a hard time deciding what to do with this weekend, but in the end I decided I would come home. The only reason I made this decision was because of Lily. The letters I had been getting from my mother were giving strong hints that Lily was missing me, and my letters just weren't enough for her at the moment. After hearing this from my mother, I decided to come home for my off weekend.

I called my mother the next day to tell her I was coming home, but told her not to tell Lily because I wanted it to be a surprise. For some reason my mother seemed agitated. After I told her the news, I didn't get the reaction I had hoped for.

"Well that's just great Michael, a whole year later and you finally decide to come home to see your family." She had said sarcastically. After I had recovered and said it was great to have the weekend to come home, she added in a hushed voice, "How am I supposed to keep this a secret from her? She's standing right next to me jumping up and down! She knows you're on the phone Michael." My mother said in an exasperated voice.

"Let me talk to her, I'll just tell her I was calling to say hi, okay ma? I'll see you next weekend." I added.

"Okay Michael, here she is." My mother said.

"Michael!" Lily screeched into the phone.

"Hey Lil, how are you?" I said, trying to hide my laughter from her loud greeting.

"Good! Did you get the last letter yet? Grandma let me sign my name at the end!" She said in a proud voice. I had just received that letter. Lily had signed her name at the end of the letter in what I thought was very neat handwriting. Usually my mom wrote the letters for Lily while she dictated what she wanted to say, but by the looks of it, Lily had wanted to sign her name at the end to show me what she was learning in school. I had also been noticing in recent letters that Lily had stopped referring to my mother as Mrs. Westen, and started calling her grandma. It was nice to see that Lily was finally warming up to my mother, and I knew my mom would be happy with more affection from Lily.

"I did! You have beautiful handwriting Lily; I can't wait to get a letter that you write all by yourself!" I tried to sound as excited as she was.

"Thanks, Michael. What were you talking to grandma about? Are you coming here?" She asked.

Lily was sharp as a tack. My mom was right; hiding this from her wouldn't be easy. "I was just talking to grandma about an old friend. I wish I could come home, but I'm just so busy with work! I hope to see you soon though Lily." Convincing enough?

"Okay Michael, I understand." Lily said sadly. Suddenly I wished I hadn't decided to surprise her because she seemed upset. Oh well, she would find out soon enough.

"I'm sorry I can't come home and see you Lily, but it was nice to talk to you! Write me anytime, and I'll try to talk to you again soon!" I said hastily.

"Okay, bye Michael!"

"Bye Lily." I said, and then hung up the phone. Then the countdown began…

…

Miami, FL, one long flight later…

As I drove in my rental car, I was both excited and nervous for my two day stay at my house. I knew Lily missed me, but I felt guilty about getting her all excited to see me again, only to leave the next day. It didn't seem fair to her. I had been gone for a whole year, and even though I had kept in touch I know it had been hard for Lily. I told my mother that Lily needed someone to love her because I wasn't able to, but was my mother enough for her? I know my father sure as hell wasn't any help. The fact that Lily had yet to mention him in any of her letters told me he completely ignored her.

When it came down to it, what would my two day stay do for Lily? Make her even more attached to me, and then have a meltdown when I have to leave in just a short time? Negative thought after negative thought filled my head the entire drive to my house. By the time I arrived, I partly wanted to turn the car around and go back to the airport, but I had made a decision to do this, and I wasn't going to back out now. I put a smile on my face and walked up to the door. Before I even reached it, the door flew open revealing my smiling mother.

"Hi Michael! How was the flight? Lily is outside playing basketball, she has no idea you're coming!" I could tell my mother was proud she had been able to keep my visit a surprise.

"The flight was fine mom, and thanks for keeping this a secret. I'm gonna go outside after I put my stuff in Nate's room." I replied.

"Okay Michael, I have to go to the store, I assume you'll keep Lily company? When I get back I need to talk to you." My mother's mood changed from happy to stern. I was nervous for whatever she needed to talk to me about, but I agreed and she was out the door.

Not wanting to keep an unknowing Lily waiting, I hurried upstairs to dump my bag and then made my way to the backyard. I could see Lily from the kitchen, and it looked like she was shooting hoops. Seeing how much Lily had grown while I was away made me realize how much I had missed in the past year. I was suddenly feeling guilty again.

I forced myself to put on a smile, and as soon as I opened the back door, Lily looked my way with a shocked expression on her face. She put her basketball down and took a running leap into my arms. She hugged me so hard that her little arms were almost strangling me, but as far as I was concerned, this was all I needed to make the long trip worth it.

"Michael! You said you weren't coming! You surprised me!" She seemed unwilling to let go of me, and I was content to have her in my arms for as long as she wanted to stay there. We had to make up for lost time after a year apart.

"I know Lil! I sure surprised you!" I ruffled her hair as I said this, and she nuzzled her head into my shoulder.

"Can I make you lunch Michael? Grandma taught me how to make peanut butter and jelly!"

"Sure kiddo, let's go inside. Where's my dad?" I asked just as Lily started making my sandwich. I had forgotten about my father until now.

"Mr. Westen's in the garage, I asked him if he needed help but he said no." Lily responded. I wasn't surprised that Lily felt comfortable calling my mom "grandma" but still called my dad "Mr. Westen." Unlike my mom, I was sure my father made no effort to make Lily feel comfortable living here. Lily seemed very focused on spreading the peanut butter on the bread just right. Something told me this would be one of the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I would ever eat.

"That was nice of you to ask. Is he nice to you Lily?" Another question I had wanted to ask her.

"I don't know Michael I don't talk to him a lot." She said with a shrug. She looked up at me seriously, "Do you want strawberry jelly or grape jelly?"

I decided to stop talking about my father. To me, it was better that they had no contact rather than him being mean to her. "Strawberry sounds good Lily." I replied.

Lily nodded and beamed at me. "Strawberry is my favorite too, Michael!"

…

After lunch, Lily insisted I see her newly redecorated room, so we went upstairs. As I expected, the room was decked out in pink, which wasn't my taste, but Lily seemed to like it. She went into a lengthy explanation of how she picked out that particular color, and then she showed me her princess bed sheets. I was introduced to her two favorite stuffed animals, Mr. Bill the turtle and Princess Panda. Then she showed me all of her schoolwork, and her class picture. She pointed out all of her friends, and even the people she didn't like. I noticed most of them were boys. After the tour of her room, we decided to play a few games. Lily picked Connect Four, and I picked Guess Who. We were in the middle of Guess Who when my mom came home with her arms full of groceries.

"Hi grandma! Michael is here! I made him peanut butter and jelly like you showed me and showed him my room and now we're playing games!" Lily said this all in one breath.

"Hi Lily! I'm glad you and Michael are having a good time. How about you finish your game and then go back outside and play basketball? I need to talk to Michael about something." My mother replied.

"Okay grandma." Lily replied. Before we knew it, the game was over, and Lily went outside to play, but only with a promise that I would be out to join her in a few minutes. My mother and I sat down at the kitchen table; her with a cigarette and me with a glass of iced tea.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about, mom?" I started.

"What do you think Michael? You said you would visit Lily, and you've been gone for a year! You might think that's acceptable, but you don't live with her! You don't see her face every time I have to tell her I don't know when you'll be home next! She might be happy to see you now Michael, but in a few years she might not be so happy with yearly visits!" My mother snarled. She had a lot to get off her chest. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.

"Mom it's not that easy! I have a commitment to my job, and I don't get that much time off! This was my first weekend off in a long time and I chose to come here!" I replied. I wasn't expecting this from my mother.

"Michael, that's no excuse, you need to get more time off then! You made a commitment to Lily simply by keeping her in your life, and she should be the most important thing in your life! Your mysterious job should take a back seat. I don't want Lily to forget about you, and that's what might happen if you keep this up!" My mother fired back.

"Ma I didn't choose for this to happen to me, and I'm doing the best I can to deal with it! Do you think I like that this is the first time I'm seeing Lily in a year? Of course I don't! But I just have to deal with it, and so should you!" I was starting to get angry. My mother just didn't understand, and I couldn't explain the demands of my job to her.

"If you don't like it, then do something about it!" My mother yelled. She shot up from the table and walked out of the room. Probably to go fume in her bedroom with a cigarette. My mother just didn't understand. The government doesn't care if you have a child at home. They just want you to grab your gun and go out and protect the United States. Plain and simple. No room for argument. I could never explain this to my mother though, because for all she knows I work for the post office. She has no idea what I do, and it's better for her that way. After sitting at the table deep in thought for a few minutes, I decided to go outside and play with Lily. I couldn't let this conversation ruin my day with her. Just as I was opening the back door, I heard my father yelling.

"I'm sorry Mr. Westen!" I heard Lily's timid voice.

"I don't want your apologies! I told you not to play with your ball around here! Look what you did, you knocked over all my tools! Go to your room girl, get out of my sight." My dad snarled. This set me off. All remnants of a great day vanished. Lily stood by the garage door crying.

"Lily, go in the house and see grandma." I said. She nodded and ran into the house. I walked into the garage to find my father scowling at Lily's basketball. It looked like the basketball had bounced into the garage and knocked over my father's tool box.

"What's your problem dad? She said she was sorry, it was just an accident!" I fumed.

"Look who decided to show up after a year! She knows not to play over here, yet she still does it! Stay out of this boy!" My dad snarled. I knew immediately that he was provoking me. Good thing I was in the mood for a good fight.

"No I won't stay out of this! You have no right to yell at her for an accident! She's six years old for crying out loud!" I replied heatedly.

"Oh, you won't stay out of this?" My dad stood up and walked towards me. I could feel what was coming.

"Go ahead dad, hit me! This time, I'll be able to fight back." I spat right back. I had been waiting for this moment for twenty years. My blood boiled. My father reared back to strike just as my mother opened the back door.

"No Frank, don't you dare start this! I won't allow it!" She yelled. My father stopped mid punch.

"Whatever Maddie." He walked back into the garage and hopped into the charger. "I'll see you in hell boy!" He yelled as he peeled the car out of the garage.

"Looking forward to it!" I yelled. I hoped he heard. The scumbag. I walked back towards my mother.

"You shouldn't antagonize him, Michael!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah well, he deserved it, ma. I don't want talk about it." I replied. I went upstairs to check on Lily, and found her in her bedroom sleeping on her bed. Crying must have taken a lot out of her. It's probably for the best she didn't hear the exchange between my father and I.

…

The rest of the day and the next morning went by without incident. My father didn't show up, and that was a relief. I put on a happy face for Lily the rest of the weekend, but in the back of my mind I couldn't wait to get out of Miami and back to Fiona. I couldn't handle the troubles that my home life was throwing at me. Michael McBride's life was far more simple in Ireland, and I couldn't wait to go back.

I took Lily out to breakfast the morning of my flight back to Ireland, and I told her I might not see her for a little while. She seemed upset at first but seemed to understand. I felt terrible leaving her behind at my house, but I knew my mother was doing an admirable job taking care of her, and Lily loved my mother. I dropped Lily back at my house, and after a final hug, I drove away. My contrasting emotions of relief and anxiety that I felt as I pulled away from Lily were indescribable.


	4. Chapter 4

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter 4

Eight years later

Miami, FL

_Lily Sizemore POV_

Beep beep beep beep!

"It can't already be 7:00!" I groaned. I rolled over in my bed and willed myself to hit the off button on my alarm clock instead of the more desirable sleep button. That was a slippery slope though, and I didn't want grandma to have to come in my room to wake me ten minutes before I had to leave for school (like what happened yesterday). Oh well, at least it was Friday. After one final wistful look at my pillow, I got out of bed and started getting ready to go to school.

At 7:40 on the dot, I was making my way downstairs for a quick breakfast before I caught the school bus. Cigarette smoke already blanketed the kitchen area, so I could tell grandma had been up for a while already. I put a piece of bread in the toaster and went to look for her. Grandma was in the laundry room and she was talking to someone on the phone.

"Are you gonna come see us?" She asked the mystery person. She saw me standing at the door and mouthed, _it's Michael!_ My stomach dropped. I hadn't seen Michael in almost two years, and his recent letters hadn't hinted to any upcoming visits. I immediately began to have mixed emotions, but I put on a smile and tried to look excited for grandma's sake.

"Well great, you can take me to the doctor and then pick Lily up from school! She'll be so thrilled to see you, Michael!" Grandma had just learned Michael was in town, and was already conning him into doing things for her. I didn't want Michael to pick me up from school though. Every time he came into town, Michael seemed like he was preoccupied every minute he was here, so I never wanted him to be forced to waste his time on me. Michael always said he had time for me, but with such infrequent visits over the past years, I thought otherwise. I shook my head at grandma to tell her Michael didn't have to pick me up, but she waved me off.

"Wonderful, I'll see you soon! Bye!"

"Grandma, he doesn't have time for me! Why did you tell him to pick me up?" I asked, trying to keep the whining tone at bay.

"Oh Sweetie, Michael always has time for you! It won't be a problem at all!" Grandma replied.

"Well he hasn't had time for me in two years!" I exclaimed, but grandma just waved me off again, and I walked away. I retrieved my toast, and ate it as I walked out the door without saying goodbye. Halfway to the bus stop I felt way too much like a petulant child so I turned back to the house to hug grandma goodbye. I had to sprint back to make my bus, but it was worth it to make grandma happy.

During the ride to school my thoughts strayed back to my relationship with Michael. Michael's visits over the past eight years had been very sporadic. After he got in that huge fight with Mr. Westen because of me, the next time he visited was three years after that. Then three years after that. And now two years later, he was back again. I loved seeing Michael, but I almost wished he never came home because it was so hard for me when he had to leave. The Michael who visits me and grandma is completely different from the Michael who writes me letters twice a month. In my correspondence with Michael through letters, I feel closer to him, but when he comes home, he always seems stressed, and I can't help but feel like it's because of me. Even though he won't say it, I know Michael feels bad he doesn't visit more often. He shouldn't feel bad though because the letters are enough for me when he isn't here. Michael is like the father I never had and I appreciate any time he is able to give up for me. Michael is worlds better than my father ever was. All I have from my father is his last name.

I don't remember much about my time with my father because I was so young, but I do remember some things. I remember how my father's temper could change with the drop of a hat. I have memories of happy times with my father turning into scary ones with him yelling at me, and saying he would throw me out in the street if I didn't behave. Those are really the only memories that I had of my father, and whenever I ask Michael, he changes the subject. He doesn't like to bring up the time I spent with my dad because nothing good came from it. Michael told me once that Larry used me to further his spy career, but wouldn't tell me anymore than that. I guess it's for the best that I don't know anything else about it because I know that wasn't a very happy time in my life.

The bus pulled up to Miami Central High School, and I got out, resigned to the fact that Michael would have to waste his time to pick me up after school.

…

When the final bell rang signaling the end of the day, I raced to my locker with butterflies in my stomach. I gathered up the books I would need for the weekend, and headed for the exit. My mind was filled with nervous questions. What if he doesn't show up? What if he's stressed like he was last time? What kind of car will he have this time? Does he still love yogurt? And most importantly, how long will he be staying? Millions more questions filled my head, but I pushed them away. Michael always kept his promises. If he said he would pick me up from school, then he would. The other questions could wait.

I scanned the line of cars outside school, heart racing, looking for Michael. I spotted him at the end of the line leaning against a green sedan with his signature sunglasses on. He spotted me at the same time and waved. I resisted the urge to sprint over to the car, and walked at a brisk pace. He smiled as I came closer.

"Hi Lily." He said. I smiled right back at him and gave him a huge hug. I noticed he had a rather large shiner on his face and seemed to wince at my bone crushing hug, but he hugged me just as hard all the same. My feet lifted off the ground for a second before he put me down.

"Hi Michael! It's so good to see you!" I replied. I pretended not to notice his injuries.

"Good to see you too, kid. You look so grown up!" He observed as we drove out of the parking lot.

"Thanks, you look good too," I lied. An awkward silence seemed to pass between us. This was how it always was. Chatty in the letters, but quiet face to face. What was wrong with me that made him weird around me? I'm generally not a very social person, but I always enjoy being around Michael. Maybe he didn't feel the same way about me.

I worked up the courage to ask the question that was replaying in my brain, "So, are you in town for a while?" I hoped he had an answer I wanted to hear. This time seemed different from any other time Michael had been home. For starters, this was definitely not a rental car. I could see the wires sticking out from under the steering wheel, and I knew from my time with Nate, Michael's brother, that Michael had hotwired the car. It seemed strange because Michael always gets a rental car. And he never comes into town looking like he got hit by a truck.

"I'm not sure Lily, but I'll probably be around for a little longer this time." He answered evasively. I was happy with that answer though. Michael was always really private about his life. I knew he was a spy, but I didn't know much else about what he did. I knew more than grandma though, and it was very hard to keep it a secret from her. Michael always insisted I never tell her about his life though. He said it was for our protection.

"That's great!" I tried not to sound overly excited, but it was hard. "Thank you for picking me up today, I know you're busy," I added.

"It's no problem Lil, I always have time for you. So how's school? How did you do on that math test you were telling me about? I seem to remember factoring being difficult for me when I was in high school." In my latest letter to Michael, I told him about a difficult math test I had that week. That was two weeks ago.

"Oh, it went well. I got an A. Ms. Reynolds actually helped me out." Ms. Reynolds was our next door neighbor. She had been a math teacher before she retired.

"That's great Lily, you always do well I don't know why you worry so much." Michael flashed me one of his signature smiles.

"I don't know, maybe it's because I'm a perfectionist. Kinda like someone I know." I gave him a hard stare and he laughed. The rest of the way home, we rode in a more comfortable silence. I was dying to ask Michael about the bruise on his face, but I held back. I didn't want to be weird about it. When we pulled up to the house, I got out of the car but Michael didn't follow.

"Aren't you coming in?" I asked.

"I think grandma and I need some time apart, and I have to return this car. I'll see you soon though Lily. Maybe we'll get some lunch on Sunday. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Okay. Bye Michael! Thanks again for the ride, and it's great to see you." I said sincerely. I knew I would be seeing Michael again soon, so I was happy. I walked into the house with some pep in my step, wondering who this mystery person was that Michael wanted me to meet.

…

A few hours after our conversation in the car, Michael called the house to say he wanted to take me out to dinner the next night to meet the mystery person instead. He said he had a job he had to do on Sunday. I agreed to dinner and now here I was on Saturday night, rushing to get dressed and ready to go before Michael came to the house. I heard a beep from the front of the house so I took one final look at my hair, kissed grandma goodbye, and went out the door.

As I approached the car (which was not the green sedan I had seen yesterday, but a black car I didn't recognize), I suddenly became very nervous. I saw a beautiful woman sitting in the front seat of the car. She and Michael got out at the same time to greet me. Michael began the introduction.

"Lily, this is Fiona, she's a… coworker of mine. Fiona, this is Lily." Fiona briefly glared at Michael before smiling warmly at me.

"Hi Lily, it's a pleasure to meet you, Michael has talked a lot about you." Fiona replied. I immediately noticed her Irish accent when she spoke.

"Nice to meet you too, Fiona" I said. I wondered why Michael had hesitated when he said Fiona was a coworker. Maybe she was his girlfriend? Why wouldn't he tell me that though? I threw the twenty questions I had into the back of my mind as we got in the car to head to the restaurant. There seemed to be a loaded silence between Michael and Fiona during the car ride there, so I just decided to keep quiet. I didn't want to force a conversation.

We finally arrived at the restaurant, and it seemed much more comfortable once we were around more people. I was bursting with questions to ask Fiona, so I was happy when we were seated.

"So Fiona, how do you know Michael?" I started.

"We met in Ireland a while back. I worked for the IRA, and Michael was undercover when we met. It was love at first sight wasn't it Michael?" Fiona batted her eyelashes at Michael. He rolled his eyes.

"It was what it was Fi. It was also a long time ago, Lily." Michael replied with a smile. Okay next question. Michael seemed uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed.

"Okay then. What do you do for a living Fiona?" I asked. Fiona glanced briefly at Michael, and he nodded to go on.

"I do a lot of things, Lily. Without getting into it too much, I mostly sell guns and explosives, but occasionally I get to use them." Fiona's eyes lit up as she talked more about different kinds of guns and explosives. Huh. I wasn't expecting that. Fiona was a very petite person and I couldn't picture her running around with a gun. I guess I couldn't picture Michael with a gun either. I knew he used one but I had never seen him pull it out and I was thankful for that. Michael interrupted my thoughts.

"Fi, don't scare Lily away! You just met her!" he scoffed.

"Oh no, it's okay Michael. That was interesting. I've never met another person in your…line of work, Michael." I replied. I liked to hear about what Fiona did. I thought it was interesting. Average women didn't usually run around with explosives. I asked Fiona a few more basic questions before Michael changed the subject.

"What did you do today, Lily?" I explained that I had gone to the mall with a few friends and then did homework. Boy, I had a boring life compared to these two. The conversation switched around for the rest of dinner, and I found myself wishing I had a more exciting life.

Before I knew it we were getting up to leave. As we were walking to the car Michael turned to me and said, "Lily, I think I should show you where I'm living, just so you know where to find me if you ever need me."

The fact that Michael was actually living somewhere made me think he would be here for a longer period of time. That was good news, but I tried not to sound too giddy and just said, "Okay Michael, I can't wait to see it."

Fiona put her arm around Michael and said, "Yes, Michael. What a wonderful idea to show us your place. You know, I should probably have a key, right?" Michael glared at Fiona, but she went on like she didn't notice. "Well Michael, if you go _out of town_ and need your plants watered, I will definitely need that key. Just keep that in mind, okay?"

Michael laughed sarcastically, "I don't think I will be vacationing anytime soon, Fi." Fiona just smiled, and I felt very out of the loop but I didn't ask any questions. Somehow I felt like I filled my question quota at the dinner table.

…

When we got to Michael's place, I was a little shocked. It was a night club! There were flashing lights, loud music, and girls standing in line with extremely short dresses. It looked like one of those places that grandma told me I should never set foot in. I felt a little nervous as we made our way to the line to get in the club.

Michael saw my face and reassured me, "Don't worry Lil, it's not what you think. I live in the loft above the nightclub." I smiled in relief. We made our way through the crowd and Michael opened a metal door that looked like it led to a back alley. After Michael closed the metal door, Fiona brought up the key situation again, and it looked like they were gearing up to have a more serious conversation. I stood by the door and pretended not to notice. I was looking at the windows to the loft above us when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone step out of the shadows.

Fiona and Michael were still bickering and didn't appear to notice the guy. I gasped when I noticed he had a gun in his hand and that's when Michael looked up. Fiona still had her back turned to the guy, she was facing Michael but they had stopped fighting. My legs suddenly seemed glued to the ground as the guy pointed the gun at me, and then at Michael and Fiona.

"Yo Man, Sugar wants you out." Who was Sugar? Why was this happening? I looked at Michael and saw him beckoning me toward him with his hand. I slowly made my way toward them, and when I was next to Michael, he grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him so my back was against the stair railing. Now Fiona was directly in front of the gunman, followed by Michael, then me. Neither of them seemed at all phased by this guy. I couldn't say the same. My heart was beating out of my chest and I could feel myself shaking. I was glad to feel the pressure of Michael's hand on my arm, it was very reassuring.

"Keep them out of this. You have a problem with me, not them." Michael replied calmly. The guy with the gun scoffed at him, and Fiona chimed in.

"Michael, shut up, I can take care of myself." She said. She then turned around to face the guy, and before I could even comprehend what happened, she had the gun and the guy was on the ground, unconscious. I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I was holding in, and Michael put his arm around my shoulders.

"You really ought to do something about your neighbors." Fiona said with an air of nonchalance. She handed Michael the gun like it was a salt shaker at the dinner table, no big deal. I was shocked, but I was trying really hard to play it cool. Even though I felt like screaming.

"I know, I know." Michael replied. Fiona started to make her way up the staircase, but he stopped her. "Fi, I don't know about this anymore, I gotta take care of this guy and Lily seems a little shaken." Shaken? Me? Apparently Michael saw right through my façade. Fi looked disappointed and he quickly added, "You can come see my place tomorrow before we do the job, okay?"

"Fine Michael, see you tomorrow." Fiona walked back out through the metal door. She seemed upset. We made our way up the stairs.

"She didn't have to leave Michael, I'm fine." I said.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're white as a ghost, Lil. I'm sorry you had to see that. I have an unfriendly neighbor I need to take care of, and that guy must have been one of his cronies." All I could do was nod, I felt like I would start blubbering if I tried to talk. I looked at my hands and noticed they were still shaking. Michael saw that and pulled me into a hug. I felt the water works coming on and I tried to hold back. Luckily I was able to keep the tears at bay; I didn't want Michael to think I was a baby.

"It's okay to be upset Lily, this kind of thing doesn't usually happen to people. I never want you to feel in danger around me." Michael seemed genuinely sorry for what happened.

I pulled myself together enough to say, "I don't blame you, Michael. I have always felt safe when I'm with you, this doesn't change anything." He smiled and pulled me into another hug.

As I calmed down, Michael showed me around his loft. It looked kind of shabby and unfinished, but I thought it had character. After the grand tour, we sat down and talked for a little while, and then he drove me back home.

Before I got out of the car, I said, "Don't worry, Michael. I'm not going to tell grandma about what happened. But…maybe next time we can just go to a movie? Something with guns on the screen, not being pointed at our heads, okay?"

Michael laughed, "I think that's fair, kiddo. Have a good night and say hi to grandma for me." I hugged Michael goodbye, and I was on my way.

When I crawled into bed that night (after being grilled by grandma about my night), I thought of Fiona and how happy Michael seemed around her, even if he tried to hide it. I was also happy to see that Michael had found a place to live. This meant he was staying around for a while, and after years of being separated, I was thankful he was finally here in Miami for the long haul. Before I fell asleep, I thought to myself, _I hope that was the last time I will ever see someone with a gun pointed at my face… _

…

A/N: Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter 5

Miami, FL

Lily Sizemore POV

As I scanned the pages of my history textbook for information for a paper I was working on, I could feel myself nodding off to sleep. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and realized it was just past eleven at night. No wonder I was starting to get tired. I couldn't go to sleep anytime soon though if I expected to make any headway at all on this paper. Grandma was in the shower right now so I knew she would be going to bed soon. I decided I would suffer through one more hour of homework before I took a shower myself and went to bed. I went back to scanning the textbook with new vigor, knowing the end was in sight. On page 324 I came across a picture of a fight scene from a popular movie in the 50s, and it suddenly made my mind shift gears yet again. _I can throw a punch thanks to Michael_, I thought to myself.

After the run in with the gunman outside Michael's loft a few months ago, I told Michael I thought it was important that I learned how to defend myself. What if something were to happen to me and Michael and Fiona weren't there to save me? At first Michael was hesitant to teach me, but when I mentioned that I would just ask Fiona for a lesson in self defense if he said no, he changed his mind.

"I don't think I need two deadly women in my life right now." He had said. I was glad Michael had decided he would teach me. With Fiona, I'd probably end up getting a lesson on the right way to apply C4 to the underside of a car. Definitely not what I had in mind.

Michael ended up giving me a few basic lessons in self defense. I learned how to throw a punch correctly so I wouldn't break any bones in my hand, and I also learned some key self defense moves. After our lesson I felt much better about my safety, and thankfully I hadn't had to use any of my new skills yet.

These past few months had been some of the best in my life with Michael around. Shortly after I met Fiona, I also met Sam Axe. Sam was one of Michael's good friends from his time as a spy, and from what I could gather I think he was a former Navy Seal. I loved it when Sam came around the house because he always had stories of his time in the Navy which I thought were very interesting. But what I loved most about these past few months was the time I got to spend with Michael. Most of the time we didn't even do anything exciting; sometimes I would come over to his loft after school to do homework, and other times I would go shopping with him and Fiona. Michael would come over to the house occasionally, but I think he preferred to stay away. Grandma told me he had a lot of bad memories in the house because of Mr. Westen. Michael and I had grown even closer over the past three months, and I was grateful for any time I was able to spend with him.

One of the things I learned about Michael was that he liked to help people. He always seemed to be doing a different job which involved helping people with various problems. Sometimes the people he was helping even stayed at our house if they needed somewhere to hide. When he was helping all these people, I noticed that Michael could turn into different people by the way he acted. Sometimes he would come by the house dressed to the nines and when I would ask who his hot date was, he would laugh and say it was just for a job. He would also use different accents when he talked on the phone, which I thought was funny. One week he was from New York and another he had a Boston accent. When I asked him why he did these things, Michael just said, "you should never do a job as yourself in case something goes wrong," and that made a lot of sense to me.

…

I looked up from the picture in my book and realized I had been lost in thought for a good twenty minutes. What a waste of time one little picture can cause! Oh well, I still had some time before I had to take a shower. I was about to turn the page when I saw some movement outside the house by the bushes. I went to the window to take a closer look; it was probably just a stray cat. When I got to the window, I realized it was not a stray cat, but a man peering into our living room window! He waved his hand and three other men came out from behind our neighbor's house with guns in hand. My heart started racing, and I sprinted out of my bedroom and down the hall to grandma's room. She was brushing her hair, and I startled her when I burst into the room. She dropped the brush and looked like she was about to yell at me for scaring her, but I cut her off.

"Grandma, there are men outside the house with guns! I saw them from my room!" I shouted. Grandma's eyes widened.

"Call Michael, Lily." Grandma said immediately. I nodded and raced to her nightstand and dialed Michael's cell phone. Hopefully he was close. Michael picked up on the second ring.

"Yeah mom." He said. This was how he always answered when grandma called.

"It's me, there are men outside the house with guns and I think they're trying to break in!" I talked so quickly I'd be lucky if he even understood me.

"I'm coming, call the police right now." He said. He seemed calmer than me, and I wondered how he did it. I hung up the phone and picked it up again.

"He said to call the police" I informed grandma. She nodded. I attempted to dial 911 but the phone was useless. I started to panic again, "There's no dial tone, the phone isn't working! It just worked a second ago, what happened?" Now we were helpless until Michael got here. Just then I heard the front and back doors open.

"It's okay Lily, Michael will be here, let's just stay in here until he comes." Right after grandma said this, a man burst into the room with his gun and I screamed.

"Come downstairs with me right now and nobody gets hurt. We're gonna wait for your son." The man came towards us and I panicked. I ran right past him before he could stop me hoping I could get out the door to tell a neighbor to call the police. My heart leapt when I realized the front door wasn't being guarded and just as I was about to open the door I felt someone grab me from behind.

"Not so fast, little girl, there's no need to be afraid." He said as he held on to me. This had the opposite effect on me. I struggled even harder and tried to get out of his grip so I could make it to the door. I was no match for him though as he half carried, half dragged me back to the kitchen. I saw grandma was already sitting on a kitchen chair. I realized there wasn't much we could do but wait. We looked at each other and I could tell she was just as panicked as I was. I continued to struggle with the man who was holding me, hoping he would get tired and I could slip away, but his arms were strong and I didn't seem to be having much of an effect on him. I gave up, deciding it was a lost cause, but the guy still held on to me. Hopefully Michael would be here soon… He could take these guys, couldn't he?

I could hear the other men in the living room and it sounded like they were smashing things. I thought it was odd, weren't they here to steal our stuff, not break it? Then I heard the door slam open.

"It's okay, it's okay." I heard Michael's voice and my heart gave another leap. I heard the sounds of a struggle in the other room and that was when the guy who appeared to be in charge signaled the man holding me to get up and move to the living room. I got a good look at the guy in charge and he was wearing a nice suit. He looked very put together for someone in the midst of orchestrating a hostile break in.

"Mom, Lily?" I heard Michael's voice again and renewed my struggles as the guy in the suit grabbed grandma and we headed to the living room.

When we walked in there, I saw Michael standing by the front door with a gun in his hand, and two of the intruders on the ground beside him. It was a strange sight. I had never seen Michael with a gun before, even though I knew he always carried one just in case. I wished I could run to him, but the man holding me wouldn't let that happen. The man in the suit began speaking.

"Fourteen minutes. I figured you for twelve, probably those causeways. You'll have to forgive my sketchy Miami geography, I'm new in town. We nearly got lost coming from your place." He said. He had a sarcastic sounding voice and I instantly hated it. Michael continued to point his gun at suit guy.

"You guys okay?" Michael said to us.

"They cut the phone lines Michael, and we couldn't call the police. Then they broke in." Grandma sounded like she was close to crying.

"It's okay, it's okay. Wanna tell me who you are?" Michael addressed suit guy again. Michael seemed calm as ever, and I once again envied him for his cool head. My heart was still beating out of my chest.

"I'm the new man in your life." Suit guy replied with a lame joke. He nodded, and pushed grandma towards Michael and the man holding me pushed me away as well. I felt instant relief, and I raced over to Michael. He gave me a reassuring look as I moved behind him and grabbed on to his suit jacket for dear life. I wished I could give him a hug; I felt so terrified still, but he still had his gun pointed at suit guy. Grandma seemed upset all of a sudden.

"Michael, why are they doing this? Are you in some kind of trouble?" She asked accusingly.

"Not now mom." He snapped back at her, then addressed suit guy, "They have nothing to do with this. You have no reason for coming here." Michael said angrily. Suit guy gave his reply, but I wasn't listening. I felt shocked. I couldn't believe this had happened. I gripped Michael's suit tighter, but if he noticed he didn't say anything. Michael talked to the man for a little longer, and the conversation got more and more heated.

Finally, after breaking some more things, much to grandma's dismay, the men left the house. I snapped out of it when I heard the door slam. Michael tried to turn towards me, but I still had the back of his suit jacket in a death grip.

"Let go, Lily." He said. He reached around and pried my fingers off his jacket. He then turned around and pulled me into a hug. I felt the tears flowing as I put my arms around his neck, and he rubbed my back soothingly.

"Look at her Michael! She has school tomorrow!" Grandma admonished. I probably looked like a mess from struggling with the guy who held me. Michael tried to pull away from me, but I didn't want to let go. I assumed he was probably giving grandma an exasperated look as he pulled me towards the couch.

"It's over now, they won't be coming back, Lil. I'm sorry they came here, I know you were scared, but you're safe now." Michael said. I nodded and sniffled.

While we sat, Fiona walked into the house, carrying a massive shotgun. She set it down by the door and looked at Michael, "I wasn't able to shoot any of them, but I did give those guys outside quite the scare," she said proudly, before pausing to look at me. "Lily, you don't have to worry. We wouldn't let anything bad happen to you, it's all over now," She soothed.

I finally found my voice and pulled away from Michael a little. "I know it's over, I just felt so powerless. I almost made it out the door when that guy grabbed me from behind." I was too ashamed to tell Michael and Fiona that I hadn't even gotten the chance to use my new self defense skills.

Michael pulled me closer to him again before saying, "That guy had at least a hundred pounds on you Lily! There's nothing to be ashamed of. I wish I could have gotten here sooner, I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Fiona sat down on my other side and said, "You know, Lily, I would love to teach you some of my moves, I know lots of ways to get a larger man on the ground. For example –"

Michael quickly interrupted her, "Not now, Fi." Fiona huffed then stood up and walked into the kitchen. Michael sighed, and then put his arm around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. I could feel the adrenaline wearing off, and I was suddenly very tired. Grandma started talking to Michael and I closed my eyes for what felt like a second, but I opened them when I felt a jostle. I realized Michael had lifted me off the couch.

"You've been asleep for an hour; I was just talking to grandma. I was hoping I'd be able to get you to your bed without waking you." He said as he carried me up the stairs.

"You should have woken me. I can walk by myself you know." I said sluggishly.

"Nonsense, you're not that heavy." Michael grinned. I closed my eyes again and didn't even bother to open them when I felt Michael set me down on my bed. I rolled over onto my side, and I felt my blanket covering me, and then a kiss on my hair as I drifted off to sleep.

…

I woke up to the sound of grandma emptying the dishwasher. The sound of dishes clanking together never failed to wake me up in the morning. I looked at the clock on my nightstand and was astonished at what I saw. It was 9:30 in the morning! Not only was I late for school, but my room was a mess. It looked like it had been ransacked by the intruders last night. How could I not have noticed this last night? Oh yeah, probably because Michael had to carry me to bed like a baby. That was only slightly embarrassing to think about. I couldn't believe grandma hadn't woken me for school this morning. I brushed my teeth and made my way downstairs.

Grandma smiled when she saw me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning, sweetie! Isn't the house lovely?" She said in a sarcastic tone. I could tell she was beside herself at the mess that was caused last night.

"Why didn't you wake me up for school?" I asked. I wasn't really that upset I was missing school, I just wondered why grandma didn't wake me up.

"Michael and I agreed you should sleep in today after what happened last night. He wants you to call him too." Grandma responded. I guess I had been pretty out of sorts last night. School would not have been fun today. I could spend the day helping grandma get the house back in order instead.

"Oh, okay." I replied. I sat at the kitchen table and ate breakfast before I called.

"Yeah Mom." Michael said when he answered.

"It's me. Grandma said you wanted me to call. Why do you always answer the phone like that?" I asked.

"It's just a habit, grandma calls me a lot." Michael answered.

"Hmm, well I guess this means I should get a cell phone then…" I said hopefully. I had wanted one for a while but grandma said I was too young and Michael agreed.

"We'll see about that. How do you feel today?" He asked.

"I'm fine, the house is a mess. Grandma is really upset." I added in an undertone.

"I figured. I'll be by later to help out. I gotta go to a job right now though, so I'll see you later okay? I'm glad you're feeling better and I'm sorry again about last night."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'll see you later. Bye, Michael." I said and then hung up. I sighed and looked around the house to assess the damage. There was shattered glass covering most of the floor in the living room, and one of the chairs was slit open down the middle with stuffing pouring out. The bookshelf was on its side with the contents strewn all over the floor. And that was only one room in the house; many others (including mine) were also trashed. This was going to take a long time to clean up, and knowing grandma she would complain the whole time. I was in for another rough day.

…

Michael stopped by later in the afternoon, and he had someone I'd never seen before with him. The man he had with him was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and his face looked like he had been beaten up recently. If I had to guess, I would say he was another one of Michael's clients, but I wasn't sure. Michael was wearing another strange outfit too. This time he had on a dirt smudged shirt with similarly dirty jeans and a baseball hat on top. As soon as they walked in, I commented, "Rough day? Who is this?" I plopped down on the ripped chair, after hours of picking up broken glass and dealing with grandma's foul mood I was ready for a break.

He smirked and said, "It's for a job, Lily. And I should be asking you the same question. It looks like you two have been busy; the place looks a lot better. This is Virgil by the way. He'll be staying here for a night, maybe two."

I huffed and sat down on the ripped chair. "Yeah, I finished my room just before you got here. Nothing was broken, I just had to put the drawers back in my dresser. I should warn you though, grandma is pretty mad today, she's been –"

Just then grandma's shrill voice interrupted me from the kitchen, "Michael! Get in here, I need you to try and fix some of my broken lamps. Do you have any idea how long I have had these? My mother gave these to me and now…" Grandma's voice trailed off as she walked into the room and saw Virgil. "Who's this?" Virgil introduced himself, and I could tell they instantly hit it off. Grandma's mood instantly changed for the better as they started talking. I rolled my eyes at Michael. Michael put his hands over his face and shook his head. I tried not to laugh.

"Hey Ma, where's dad's old hatchet?" Michael asked. Grandma pointed to one of the kitchen drawers and Michael pulled it out. Grandma and Virgil were deep in conversation and Michael was staring at them while swinging the hatchet around in his hand. He motioned for me to come outside with him and I followed. We went out the back door, and I noticed a huge speed boat in the backyard. Sam was on the deck of the boat looking for something.

"So that's what you need the hatchet for, huh?" I asked. Michael nodded.

"We're just helping Virgil out." He paused and looked towards the house, then said, "Hey, why don't you come spend the night at the loft, Lily? You could use some time away from that, and Fi and I need some help with something." He pointed at the house. I instantly agreed. I was more than willing to spend a night away from grandma charming Virgil.

"What do you need help with?" I asked.

"The men that came to the house last night might have planted a bug in my loft, and I need to distract them while we look for it. We can just make small talk while we look for the bug so the surveillance team doesn't notice we're up to something." That sounded easy enough. Plus with Fi there, things were always more interesting.

During the car ride to Michael's loft, I debated whether or not I wanted to ask him about what happened last night. I wanted to know who those men were, and if they were still around. Michael could tell I had questions.

"You look like you're going to explode, Lil. What are you thinking about?" He asked. I always wear my thoughts on my sleeve.

"Why were those men at the house last night? Do they have anything to do with Virgil?" Michael seemed to pause before he answered. I hoped he was honest with me. I probably knew the most about his life besides Fiona.

"They came to the house because they want to find out information about me. They think I did horrible things, and that's why I was 'fired' from my job. Virgil has nothing to do with them. It's a separate job." Michael responded.

"Why do they think you did horrible things?" I asked. I knew Michael was good at his job, so why would they think he was a bad person?

"Because the people who had me fired made everyone think I did these horrible things. They had a reason for doing this, but I haven't figured it out. That's why I need to get the people that came to the house off my back. I still don't know who they are, but I'll figure that out soon. Once I figure all this out, maybe I'll be able to get my job back" So Michael had been framed, and now he had no job. I wanted him to get his job back, but I loved having him around so much I couldn't bear to think what it would be like for him to leave again.

"So they're still around?"

"Yes, I think they're keeping an eye on me, which is why I need to find out if they planted a bug at my place. The less they know about me, the better. I'm sure they won't be breaking into the house again, Lily. You don't need to worry." Michael replied. I nodded, and he put his arm on my shoulder.

"Thanks for helping clean up the house. I'm sure grandma appreciated it. I hate to burden you with what's going on in my life right now."

"It was no problem; I had nothing better to do." We arrived at the loft to find that Fiona was already there.

It took most of the night to find the bug, and Fiona used the time we searched to talk to Michael about their relationship. I tried to stay out of the way so as not to embarrass Michael. After we found the bug, Fiona showed me a couple more self defense moves, and then it was off to bed.

…

Turns out, it was a good idea for me to spend the night at Michael's. Michael took me back to the house early the next morning and he went inside while I stopped outside to say hi to Mrs. Reynolds. When I walked into the house, I heard Michael and grandma arguing.

"Wake him up!" Michael said to grandma before he went out to the backyard. I followed Michael outside, not wanting to ask grandma how her night was. Based on Michael's foul mood, I think I already knew what happened last night.

"Where's Virgil?" I asked. Michael was about to answer when his cell phone rang. He surprised me by answering in a strange southern accent, "Naw this ain't Virgil, this is Homer. Virgil ain't around and I wanna meet." I had to leave the room for the rest of his conversation, I didn't want to burst out laughing and blow his cover.

I busied myself by taking the five trash bags we had filled out to the dumpster. Apparently grandma hadn't gotten much done after I'd left. On my way back inside, Michael was waiting for me in the back yard. He had a brown paper bag in his arms and I assumed it was one of the lamps grandma had been fuming about yesterday that she wanted him to piece back together. I smiled and joked, "Hey Homer, hows about we go get ourselves some fried chicken and sweet tea later on? And maybe we could even do some gator huntin' as well!" I used my best southern accent and Michael cracked a smile.

"Naw I'd rather go to the crab shack." He responded with the southern accent.

"Whatever you say, Homer." Michael laughed, and then he checked his watch.

"I have to go meet some people over at the marina, Lily. I'll see you later." Michael left with the lamp shortly after that.

The rest of the weekend went by pretty quickly after that, but it was not without drama. Grandma was beside herself when Virgil was somehow kidnapped while they were out, but Michael came to the rescue again and was able to get Virgil back. I wasn't surprised.

…

On Monday morning, I was glad to be back at school and not have to worry about anyone pointing guns at me or strange men in our house. When I got home from school on Monday, there was a wrapped box sitting on my bed. I asked grandma about it, but she didn't know what it was. When I opened it I discovered a shiny new cell phone inside along with a note written in what looked like Michael's handwriting:

Lily,

I figured you deserved this after what happened this weekend. See you soon kiddo.

Love,

Michael

My eyes kept traveling to the 'love' written on the bottom of the page, and I found myself wishing yet again that Michael was my father. I turned on my new phone and saw that he had already added his, Fiona's, and Sam's cell phone numbers on the contact list. I sat on the bed to figure out how to use the phone, all the while thinking that it was great to have Michael in my life, and that it was wonderful he had cared enough about me to let me live here.


	6. Chapter 6

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter 6

Miami, FL

Lily Sizemore POV

"Fi, I don't want to talk about this right now." I awoke from a deep sleep to Michael's agitated voice. I had slept over at the loft because I had a big test the next day, and grandma had her card game at the house. It usually got a little rambunctious and loud when the ladies had a few drinks, so I figured it would be better to study at the loft. I knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help myself. I quietly sat up so I could hear the conversation better.

"Keep your voice down, Michael! You'll wake Lily. We have to talk about this. I don't understand why you would want to work for the people who threw you out the door! You worked for them for fifteen years, and they fired you in a heartbeat, no questions asked!" That was Fi's voice.

"Fi, I can't stay here forever. I have to get my job back, I can't be stuck in the city anymore." Michael replied. Stuck here? Was it such a burden to be here?

"Stuck here? Michael, you have family here! Lily, your Mother, Nate, me! Are we not important to you?" Fi seemed to be reading my thoughts.

"Of course you're important, but my job is also important to me. I can be just as involved if I'm away." Michael replied.

"We both know that's not true, Michael! Lily needs you, and you know how happy she is around you."

"Lily and I can be just as close when I'm away. We did it for eight years! She'll just have to get used to it again." Michael said. His voice sounded like that was the end of the discussion. Fi made a huffing sound and slammed the front door as she left. I stayed in bed for another couple minutes so Michael wouldn't know I had heard everything.

As I thought about what Michael had said, I suddenly realized I was upset with him. He knew I was happy when he was around and so was grandma. Why would he be so willing to just up and leave again? Did we mean nothing to him? I had grown used to his presence over the past couple months, and it wouldn't be fair to me if he left. Was his job really that important in his life? Was it selfish for me to not want him to get back into the spy game? I thought about this as I pulled my clothes out of my bag. This was Michael's life, and who was I to take it away from him? I didn't want to admit this to myself, but I thought of Michael as my father, and he wasn't. I couldn't let my wish for Michael to be my father prevent him from getting his job back. That would be the most selfish thing I could ever do.

As much as I hated to admit it, I needed to start distancing myself from Michael. We had our fun while it lasted, but I just couldn't face the devastation I would feel when Michael got his job back and disappeared again. If I stayed away from Michael, then when he left, it would feel like he was never there. Who knows, maybe we were better off just writing letters. It was kind of like having a pen pal. I made up my mind, and that was what I would do. As I made my way downstairs, I noticed Michael was sitting in his favorite green chair. He looked up when he saw me.

"What do you want for breakfast? I have cereal and yogurt. That's about it." He smiled.

"Nothing, I'm not hungry. I need to get to school early to study some more. I'll see you."

"Wait, Lily. What's up with you? Is everything alright?" He asked.

"It's nothing. I'm just nervous. I really have to go." With that said, I walked out the door, leaving Michael with a stunned expression on his face. I was close to tears as I walked to school, but I held them back. I told myself, _this is how it is now, so get used to it. It's for the best. _

…

Over the next couple days, I held firm to my promise that I would distance myself from Michael. Whenever he came to the house, I would pretend to be taking a nap or just say I had too much homework to talk. I didn't even feel like socializing with grandma like I usually did. At night, instead of playing cards with her, or watching TV, I elected to run outside. I always turned to exercising when I was stressed and this week my nightly run was the only part of my day I looked forward to. I had a path mapped out that was about three miles from grandma's house that ended at the beach. I would run to my beach just in time for the sunset every night. It was my special place that no one else knew about. I could sit quietly in the sand by myself and not have to worry about seeing Michael. It was almost like my problems didn't exist for a couple hours each night.

Grandma noticed my strange behavior towards Michael almost immediately. "What's wrong with you? You disappear every time Michael comes over!" She said. I could tell she was upset.

"Nothing. I'm busy, grandma." I replied shortly.

"So busy that you can't even talk to him for a few minutes? That's rude Lily, and you know it. What's gotten into you?" Grandma seemed disappointed in me. I didn't normally act like this though, so I guess her disappointment was warranted.

"I just have a lot going on at school right now. My grades are more important than social hour with Michael, grandma." I stalked off to my room after I said that. I was beginning to turn into the typical bratty child and I hated myself for it.

I could tell Michael was getting impatient with me too. I ignored his phone calls, and was very short with him when he came to the house. I would pretty much only say "hello" and "goodbye" and whenever he would ask me questions I would give the shortest response possible. I hated the way I was acting and I wanted so badly to just go back to the way things were before I overheard him and Fi's conversation, but I knew I couldn't. I convinced myself it was better this way.

I knew Michael had lost his patience when I heard his phone message the next day. It had been a little over a week since my abrupt departure from the loft and my continuing silent treatment. He called me after school, probably to offer me a ride home, but I didn't answer. Instead I elected to just walk home. My phone buzzed, and I looked at it. I had one voicemail from Michael. I dialed my voicemail and waited for what he would say.

"Lily, it's Michael. I called to see if you needed a ride home from school, but big surprise, no answer. I didn't give you a cell phone so you could ignore my calls. I don't know what's going on with you, but I better find out soon." With that, the message ended. I couldn't ever remember a time when Michael had been mad at me, but he certainly was now. Nobody likes getting the silent treatment, and most certainly not Michael Westen. I knew Michael would eventually track me down. He probably knew my schedule better than I did. He always knew things like that. I wiped a few tears off my face before I walked in the house so grandma wouldn't know I was upset.

I walked straight up to my room after a quick hello to grandma. I just wanted to be alone. When I opened the door, I realized that wasn't going to happen. Fiona was lounging on my bed, apparently waiting for me. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for me to speak. I could instantly tell she knew everything that had been going on.

"Fi, I don't wanna talk about it. Did he send you here?" I asked. I knew Fi would know about this.

"No, I came on my own. I know what you're doing, and I think it's a horrible idea." Fi stated plainly. I went on the defensive.

"No, it's not! Why should I want to be around Michael when he's just going to disappear again? Why would I put myself through that? It's better this way." I explained.

"Lily, Michael doesn't even know who did this to him. It's going to be a long time before he figures this out. It would be better for you to just spend time with him now. He's not going anywhere anytime soon. If he ever leaves, we'll deal with it together. I'll always be there for you, Lily." Fiona replied.

I sighed. I would just have to say what I'd been thinking deep down, "I'm afraid of getting too close to Michael. Don't tell him this, but I think of him as my father. I'm too close to him already, and I don't want him to feel like he has an obligation to stay here because of me. It's his job, and I won't stand in the way of him getting it back." I never told anyone that before.

"Michael loves you, Lily. He would never say this, but I know he thinks of you as his daughter. His head is just clouded with all this burn notice stuff. You just wait, he'll realize what he's missing if he ever decides to leave. I won't let him forget it. The worst thing you could do right now is push him away. He needs to realize you need him." Fiona said passionately. I was starting to see the other side now. If Michael knew I depended on him to be here, maybe he would stay.

"Okay, I'll think about it. Don't tell Michael about this, Fi." I sure had a lot to think about before I was ready to talk to Michael.

"Of course not, Lily. I just wanted you to know that you'll never be left alone no matter what happens." Fi gave me a reassuring hug and then left the room. I sat down on my bed to think about the situation from Fiona's new perspective. I just wasn't sure if this was the best thing for me to do. Sure, I was unhappy right now, but this was nothing compared to what it would feel like if Michael had to leave and I was attached to him. Heck, I was already attached to him, wasn't the damage already done? What about Michael though? He probably felt like something went terribly wrong between him and me. This wasn't his fault, and I was taking it out on him. I should cherish the time I had with him, not push him away. I sat on my bed for a while longer thinking of the pros and cons of my situation, before I decided to take a run to my beach. I crept downstairs so grandma wouldn't hear me, and I was on my way. I would make it there just in time for sunset.

I had to run a little faster than normal to get to the beach in time for the sunset, so I was pretty exhausted when I got there. I took a couple swigs from my water bottle and sat down to stretch and catch my breath. But then, as I looked around at my surroundings for the first time, I realized I wasn't alone. Michael was sitting on the ground not too far away waiting for me. My stomach dropped; I wasn't prepared to talk to Michael about what had been going on yet. I was still going over what Fi and I had talked about earlier. I wished I would have noticed him sooner so I could have run straight back to the house, but I was too exhausted to notice. I thought about ignoring him, but I knew he saw me look at him. It upset me that Michael had intruded on my private space. He must have been desperate to find out what was going on between us. Feeling defeated and angry, I stood up and made my way over to him.

…

Michael Westen POV

As I sat on the beach waiting for Lily, I couldn't help but feel like I was intruding on her private space. I got the feeling that Lily thought nobody knew about this, but I had figured it out the first week I came back to Miami. Lily would frequently go on runs (by herself to my disappointment) to this secluded beach. Sometimes I would follow her, just to make sure she was safe. She never noticed, so I decided I wouldn't tell Lily I knew about her beach because it seemed so private to her. I felt like it was a low blow coming to her secret place, but I was desperate to talk to her and find out what was going on between us.

These past few days had been really hard for me. Lily had left the loft in such a hurry the other day, and I knew something was wrong with her. After that, she barely even looked at me when she saw me. I thought she was having some kind of trouble at school, but when I asked Fi about it, she mysteriously said that wasn't what the problem was. I felt like I called Lily about twenty times, but she never answered my calls. I'm not a very patient person, so today, after about the sixth time she didn't answer, I left her an angry message. After I hung up the phone, I felt bad for being upset with her, but she had to know I was worried. I couldn't remember there ever being a time when Lily acted like she didn't want to see me, and I had to know what happened. I was sick of playing this game with her, so I decided to come to the beach. I knew she would eventually show up because she had been running here every night for the past week. I decided I would use the opportunity to talk to her. Essentially I had cornered her, and I felt bad for forcing a conversation, but it needed to happen.

I had only been waiting for about twenty minutes when she showed up. She paused when she spotted me and seemed to consider turning around, but then resigned herself to walking over to me. I patted the ground next to me when she came closer, and she sat down.

"Long time no see, kiddo. What's going on with you?" I tried not to sound agitated but I knew she picked up on the annoyance in my voice.

"I didn't think anyone knew about this place." Lily spoke softly, she was avoiding my question.

"I wouldn't be a very good spy if I didn't know your schedule. Just tell me what's going on. I can take it." I replied. She glanced at me, and then looked away. I could tell she was embarrassed.

Lily piled sand on top of her feet before she reluctantly looked up at me. "I overheard your conversation with Fi at the loft the other day while you thought I was still asleep…" She looked down at her feet again.

Suddenly everything clicked. Lily had been distancing herself from me because she thought I was leaving. I didn't want to just jump to conclusions, I wanted her to say what she really felt, so I prodded her a little more, "What made you upset, Lil?"

She shoved the sand off her feet and scooted away from me, clearly frustrated. "I don't know, Michael. Maybe I just thought it would be different this time. I was starting to think you were here to stay, so when I heard you were so eager to leave I realized what an idiot I had been. You can't have your job back and act like you're my father all at the same time! It's not fair to me!"

I felt ashamed, but that quickly turned to frustration and I lashed out at Lily, "I'm not your father, even though I wish I was!" I immediately regretted losing my temper when I saw Lily's face.

She stood up quickly and I got to my feet as well. Her face was red when she said, "If you don't want to be my father, don't act like it! I've gone years without seeing you; I don't need you as much as you think I do." She had acid in her voice. Then she completely surprised me by shoving me away.

I took a deep breath before I answered, trying to stay calm. I had never seen Lily this angry. I felt like I had to own up to how I had treated her while I was away. "I wasn't there when you needed me and I'm sorry, but how do you want me to act now, Lily? I have cared about you since the day you came into my life, and I know sometimes I don't show it as well as I should. But these past few months have been great for us and I would hate to have you throw it all away." I stepped closer to her again, trying to bridge the emotional and physical gap between us.

Lily was crying now, "Well I wish you wouldn't say that because it's only going to be harder for me when you leave! Just stay away!" She pushed me away again, clearly not wanting to be close to me. She was crying harder now and I felt like my heart was breaking.

I stepped closer to her and she put her hands up to shove me away again. Enough was enough, before she could do it again, I grabbed her arms and said, "Lily, stop! What's with you? What do you want me to do, shove you back? That's not going to happen. I love you like my own daughter and that will never change, even if I have to leave." I had never said that before and I knew my words got to her. Lily plopped down in the sand and I sat down with her, letting go of her arms. I sighed, "Lily this is my job. It's a part of my life, just like you. I think we both know that I will eventually have to leave again, but that won't be goodbye forever. I hope you would never think for a minute that I would just leave you, Lily."

She looked up at me, and her face was still wet with tears. I wanted to give her a hug, but I felt like it was best to keep my distance for now. She sighed, "I don't want to be selfish, and I understand why you have to leave, but I just wish you would stay." She looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"Lily, that's not selfish. Normal people don't have to go through this; it's a unique hazard of my job. But Lily, I'm not going anywhere yet. This whole burn notice is complicated, for all we know, I could be here for years." Even though I hated to admit that to myself, I knew it was what she wanted to hear.

Lily finally gave me a small smile, "That's what Fiona said." I shook my head, it was clear that Fiona picked up on Lily's problem much earlier than I did. I wish she would have let me in on the secret before I had to resort to ambushing Lily at the beach. Lily interrupted my thoughts about Fi when she looked at me seriously, "Michael, am I a problem for you?"

Did I really make Lily feel like she was a problem? I wasn't doing as well as I thought with this whole parenting thing. I had to set the record straight, "Lily, you are the farthest thing from a problem." She nodded, relieved and smiled at me again. "If you were a problem Lily, you would be my favorite little problem," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "And what's with all this pushing me around? I taught you all those self defense moves, why didn't you just punch me in the face? You had a lot more options than just shoving me around."

Lily laughed and stood up, she held out her hand to me and said, "Well, how about a free shot, super spy?" I laughed and took her hand to stand up.

"Ok, one free shot. I think I deserve it after what I put you through." I laughed as Lily pulled back her fist. Before she even started the punch, I grabbed her around the waist and threw her over my shoulder. "Yeah right Lily, like I was going to let you punch me in the face. You don't get any free shots in the Westen family." I said as I ran with her back to my car. It was great to hear her laugh after a whole week of near silence between us.

"I wasn't even going to do it, Michael!" Lily said as I put her down next to the car.

I laughed as I caught my breath, "Well, you could have fooled me. I mean, the way you were pushing me before I really believed you wanted to punch me in the face," I joked.

Lily suddenly got serious, "Michael, I'm really sorry I did that. I never act like that. I guess my bratty behavior this week finally got to me. Sometimes it's easier to show people how you feel, rather than saying it." She looked embarrassed again.

I put my arm around her, "Don't worry about it Lily, I deserved it…Next time I'll bring a punching bag for you."

Lily hugged me back and said, "Well, let's just hope there isn't a next time." I wholeheartedly agreed.


	7. Chapter 7

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter 7

Miami, FL

Michael Westen POV

I had just finished my workout and was going to the fridge to get a yogurt, when my cell phone rang. I looked at the screen and realized it was Lily calling. Maybe she needed a ride home from school.

"Hey Lil, how was school?" I asked.

"Michael, something weird just happened. I was walking out after school, and there was a man who asked me if my name was Lily Sizemore. I just looked at him because I didn't want to answer, and then he said he was an old friend of yours. He said he knew you from the Czech Republic. He asked me where you lived, and I panicked. I said I had to go back for something and I went back inside the building. How did he know who I was?" Lily talked very fast, and I could tell she was afraid. I had a strange suspicion of who the stranger was, but I just knew it couldn't be true.

"I'm coming to get you, Lily. Where are you?" I hoped she didn't go back outside the building. I wasn't sure who we were dealing with yet. I grabbed the keys to the Charger, and made my way down the steps.

"I'm sitting by my locker. It's on the second floor by the bathrooms. Michael, you're scaring me." Lily sounded close to tears.

"It's going to be fine, I'm on my way. Just stay where you are." I replied. Lily said she would stay put, and I hung up. I hoped she could give me a description of this man. He had said the Czech Republic for a reason, but I told myself it could never happen. He was dead, wasn't he? Before I knew it, I had arrived at the school. I parked the car and raced into the building. I knew Lily was panicked, and I didn't want to keep her waiting. I took the stairs two at a time, and spotted her sitting exactly where she said she would be. When she saw me, she ran towards me, and I gave her a hug.

"It's okay, I'm here. Tell me what happened again. Don't skip any details." I led Lily back over to where her locker was, and we sat down. She seemed so shaken, I could tell there was something she wasn't telling me.

"Okay, I walked out the door at 3:00 just like I always do. I walked towards the sidewalk, and I saw a man. He looked like he was searching for someone, and when he saw me, he approached me. He looked so familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen him before. He walked up and said, 'Hey kid, are you Lily Sizemore?' I was shocked he knew my name, so I just stared at him. When I didn't respond, he said 'You know Michael Westen, right? Well I'm an old friend of his, and he said he would watch something for me. I came back for it, but now I can't find him. Do you know where he lives?' I just shook my head and said I forgot something inside. Then I ran back in the building and called you. I didn't even look to see where he went. Do you know him, Michael? What are you watching for him?" Lily looked at me, waiting for a response.

I knew the answer to the next question I asked already, but I needed more time to think about what I would tell her. "What did this man look like, Lily?" She thought about it for a second while I stewed over what to say.

"Well… He had short dark brown hair, and really white teeth. He smiled a lot, but it looked strained. I don't remember much else." Oh, God. What would I say to her? This man she was describing was her father, Larry Sizemore and I was sure of it. I made up my mind quickly. I couldn't tell Lily this was her father. I didn't want her to ever see him again, and I would try to get Larry to go away without Lily knowing he was ever here.

"Hmm, I think I know who this man is. Nothing to worry about, Lily. I'm sorry he came to your school, that must have been scary. I'll just try to get in touch with him soon and remind him not to talk to me through you." That sounded like one of the worst lies I'd ever told. I hoped Lily bought it.

"Okay, Michael. Can I have a ride home?" Lily seemed skeptical. Was I just paranoid?

"Sure, kiddo." With that, we stood up and made our way back to the car. When we exited the building, I was instantly on alert. Larry was most certainly still around. He must have known Lily would call me. We got in the car, and I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road back to my house. I looked in my mirrors for a tail, but didn't see anyone. That didn't make me feel any less uneasy, and I hoped Lily didn't notice my tension. After a short ride which seemed to take a lifetime, we finally made it to the house.

"Are you coming in?" Lily asked. She was on to me.

"No, sorry I have a client I have to go meet. I might stop by later though, grandma called and said she was having trouble with the TV. See you later, Lil." Lily nodded, and waved goodbye. I watched to make sure she made it into the house okay before I pulled away. When I got back on the main road again, I noticed a tail. I didn't want Larry to know where I lived, so I just decided to face him now. I pulled into a local park close to Lily's school and got out of the car and waited. A few minutes later, the car that was tailing me; a black sedan with tinted windows, pulled up next to the charger. I waited with bated breath to see who would open the door, even though deep down I knew who was in that car.

…

When he stepped out, I instantly recognized him. This was unmistakably Larry Sizemore, Lily's father and my former partner. My heart dropped, but I put on a smile.

"Back from the grave I see, Larry." I started.

"Well hello to you too, kid. Things happened and I had to disappear, but now I'm back!" Larry talked like the world's most optimistic person, but I could always tell his bad temper was boiling just beneath the surface. I knew that from experience, and unfortunately so did Lily.

"I seem to remember you saying, 'I'll be right back' the last time I saw you. That was nine years ago. What are you doing here, Larry?" I asked, trying to keep the hostility out of my voice.

"I want my kid back. I asked you to watch her, and I thank you for that, but I can take it from here. She looks so grown up! I knew she recognized me today." I fought the urge to punch Larry in the face. How dare he come to her school and act like he had some sort of claim on her.

"You left me with her, and you knew you weren't coming back. I think you forfeited your rights as a parent the minute you walked out the door that day. She has lived with my family for nine years, and there is no way you're taking her away. In fact, you don't even have legal rights to her. My mother adopted her shortly after she started living with her. You should have never come to her school today." I said simply. Larry got red in the face.

"You've had nine years with her! I just want her to know who I am! I want to be part of her life. She doesn't need some old lady looking after her, she needs her father!" Larry responded.

I chose to ignore the comment about my mother. "Oh, she remembers you, Larry. She remembers you taking her to your jobs, and making her fake having to go to the bathroom so you could sneak in. She remembers you yelling at her for crying at night because she was scared. She remembers a lot. You didn't give a shit about her then, and you certainly don't now! Don't think for a second that I would ever let you back into her life. The only person you care about is yourself, and I wouldn't be surprised if you needed her for a job." I spat. This man had made Lily's life hell for the first part of her life, and I wasn't going to let him forget it.

"You're not her father, I am! If I want to be a part of her life, then I will!" Larry roared. I knew I had hit a sore spot.

"I'm more of a father to her then you ever were!" I yelled right back.

"She should decide for herself if she wants to see me. You don't call the shots, Westen. You better tell her who I am, or I'll do it myself. And you won't like the way I do it." Larry threatened. I took a step back, and Larry smiled. He knew he had me.

"You stay away from Lily," I threatened. "If I ever catch you anywhere near her, I swear I will ruin you. I know lots of people who wanted you dead back in the day, Larry. I'm sure they would love to hear that they get another shot to put you in the ground."

By the end of my tirade, Larry's face was bright red and he was breathing hard. "Do your worst, kid." Was all he said before getting back in his car and driving off at top speed. After Larry was long gone, I still sat in my car for a little bit to cool down before I went back to my mom's house. I couldn't let Larry back into Lily's life. Lily had to know what was going on, and I couldn't beat around the bush any longer.

…

Lily Sizemore POV

I was deep in thought as I sat at the dinner table playing cards with grandma. My mind wasn't focused on cards though. It was focused on the strange man that had come to school today. I knew Michael was lying about him, but I didn't know why he would do something like that. I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd seen the man somewhere before, but I just couldn't think of where. He had looked at me like he knew exactly who I was before even asking me when he walked up to me. Why would he go through me to tell Michael something? It all just seemed so odd.

"Lily, why would you put that card down? You're not trying to let me win again, are you?" Grandma accused. I realized I had just been putting random cards down when it was my turn.

"Sorry, I'm just not focused. I wasn't trying to let you win." I explained. Grandma laughed as she lit another cigarette, and I was just about to remind her yet again how bad smoking was, when Michael walked in the door. Grandma looked up.

"Oh, Michael! You came to fix the TV!" She always loved it when Michael showed up. Michael smiled and looked at me.

"Yeah sure, mom. I just need to talk to Lily for a couple minutes. I think she wanted me to look over her English paper. Isn't that right, Lil?" Michael raised his eyebrows at me.

"Uh… Right my English paper. It's upstairs in my room. Let's go." I tried to sound like I had actually asked Michael to read my paper (which I hadn't). Michael gave me a strained smile, and we made our way up to my room.

Michael closed the door and turned to me. "I need to tell you something about the man who came to your school today. I'm not even sure how to say it. Maybe you should sit down?" He seemed nervous and slightly unhinged. This was so uncharacteristic of Michael that I immediately sat down.

"Lily that man was your father. That was Larry Sizemore." Suddenly everything fell into place. I had recognized him because he was my father. This couldn't be.

"No, you told me my father was dead." I stated. People don't come back from the dead.

Michael sighed. "I was wrong. Apparently he faked his own death because he was in some kind of trouble." I just gaped at Michael. I couldn't believe this.

"So, what did he want from you?" I asked. My voice was shaking.

Michael hesitated. "He wants to see you." I stood up and shook my head.

"No, I don't want to see him. I remember what he was like…" I trailed off, lost in thought. I looked back at Michael. "What did you say? Did you agree? Michael, I can't do this." Michael stood up and put his hands out, but I stepped away. Would Michael agree to let him see me?

"Lily, calm down. I told Larry he couldn't see you. I would never put you in a situation I knew you didn't want to be in." I nodded and stepped back towards Michael and he took my hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you. This is just too much. I went nine years thinking he was dead, and now he's back? How long will he be here?" Michael squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"It's okay, I understand. We all thought he was dead. I don't know how long he'll be here. He'll realize soon that he won't be able to see you and he'll leave again. He can't stay in Miami that long because his old associates will figure out he's still alive. Until he's gone though, we need to keep a close eye on you. That means no running at night, and don't go anywhere by yourself. I'll get Sam and Fi to help keep an eye on you." It made me feel better that Michael had a plan to keep me safe, but it would be horrible to not be able to run. I needed that most right now because of what I just learned.

"Michael, I can't just stay in the house all the time. I need to run, it's part of my routine." I didn't want to sound like I was whining, but it was important.

Michael thought about it for a minute. "Seriously, Lily?" I narrowed my eyes. "Fine, fine. One of us can go with you. Happy?"

"Okay thanks. I'll be careful, I promise…you don't want grandma to know about this, do you?" I asked. I almost wished I didn't know about this whole situation either.

"No, she can't know. She would go crazy if she knew something like this was going on." Michael replied. I nodded, trying to look tough. Michael probably saw right through me because he pulled me into a hug. "It's going to be fine, Lil." I really wanted to believe him, but I couldn't forget some of the horrible things I remembered about Larry. I shook my head into Michael's shoulder.

"If he's determined to do something, he'll make it happen." I said bluntly. I knew from experience.

Michael looked at me. "You can't think like that, Lily. It'll drive you crazy. Sam, Fi, and I are just as determined to not let this happen. Who do you trust more?" He had a point.

"I trust you more, but that doesn't make me any less afraid of him." I replied. Michael just nodded, not having a response for me. I would always be afraid of Larry, and there was nothing Michael could do about it.

…

For the next week, Michael had a rotation going with Sam and Fi so that I was never alone, except for my time in school. I felt like I could barely go to the bathroom without someone waiting right outside the door. It was slightly excessive, but I knew Michael cared about my safety. I was constantly feeling on edge. Being watched at all hours of the day made me feel safe, but also very paranoid. Grandma, on the other hand, was enjoying all of the extra time with Michael, Sam, and Fi. She didn't have to call Michael anymore and pretend like the garbage disposal was broken because he was always just there.

Just like Michael promised, I was still able to take my nightly run, just not alone. Michael and Fi were good running partners, but the one night Sam decided to come with me was a disaster. We didn't even pass the first mile before he had to start walking. We even stopped at a liquor store on the way home to get a six pack of beer. Apparently exercise was not his favorite activity.

I spent most of my spare time thinking about Larry, and what I remembered about my time with him. I had been so young and I didn't remember much, but I did remember how badly I had wanted him to love me. I remembered how Larry seemed to hate every minute he was with me when he wasn't doing a job, and I could recall many times when he had shown his hatred of me. I used to look forward to helping him out on his jobs because at least then, he had pretended to love me even if it was only just for show.

By the end of the week, I was a wreck. My schoolwork had suffered because I couldn't focus on anything, and I had completely forgotten to finish an important paper on time. I was upset with myself for the oversight and I couldn't wait to go running. Just as I finished putting on my shoes, my cell phone buzzed. Fi was calling. "Hello?" I answered, already nervous about what she would say.

"I'm so sorry Lily, but I'm going to be late for our run tonight. This guy is selling C4 for so cheap I just can't pass it up and –"

I just cut her off there. "You don't have to explain. It's fine, Fi. I can wait." I tried not to sound too defeated, but I was eager to run.

"Ok, give me about an hour and I will be there. Just stay in the house and call Michael if you have a problem, ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, ok." I answered. I couldn't blame Fi for being busy. After a whole week of watching my every move, conflicts were inevitable.

After the phone call, I tried to catch up on homework. It was futile. I was so distracted that I couldn't make sense of what I was trying to do. I looked out my window and saw the sun slowly setting. I knew Fiona said to stay in the house, but was a half hour really going to kill me? Nothing had happened all week; I could survive one half hour alone. I made up my mind. I would go running by myself and be back before Fi got here. No one would be the wiser and hopefully I could relieve some of my stress. I made my way downstairs. Grandma was standing in the kitchen preparing dinner and she looked up when she saw me. "Hey Lily, I'm just putting together something for dinner, are you hungry?"

"No, I'm going on a quick run, grandma. I'm just going to eat when I get back, ok?"

"Ok, see you soon, sweetie." Of course grandma didn't question me because Michael had never told her what was going on.

As soon as I started running, I felt the stress of the day melting away and I knew I made the right decision. As I ran, I kept telling myself that everything would be ok. I could go back to my normal life soon and get back on track. By the time I reached the beach, the sun had just disappeared into the horizon. I was disappointed that I had missed the sunset, but I settled for sitting down to watch the waves crash onto the shore.

Just before I was about to get up to leave, I heard someone walking up behind me. I sighed without turning around. It was probably Michael here to yell at me for sneaking off unaccompanied. Suddenly, I felt two hands on my shoulders and the person who turned me around was definitely not Michael. "Long time no see, kid. How about a hug for your old man?" Asked Larry. I screamed.

…

A/N: If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter 8

Miami, FL

Lily Sizemore POV

As soon as I started screaming, Larry covered my mouth with his hand. "Ah ah ah… that's no way to greet your long lost father." He frowned at me and pulled out a knife. "Now Lily, I don't want to use this but I will have to if you start screaming like that again. I just want to talk." I nodded just so he would let go of me and he took his hand off my mouth, but gripped my arm tightly instead. He looked at me expectantly, "So, what do you have to say to me after all this time?"

I had to take a few seconds to work up my courage to respond. "I don't have anything to say to you. I was happy to forget about you nine years ago."

Larry laughed, "Well I didn't forget about you! I remember how helpful you were on all those missions back in the day. Come on, you loved travelling around with me. You can't say you don't miss that!" His optimism was astounding. He acted like I had perfect recall from my time as a five year old.

"I don't remember much, but what I do remember was certainly not fun. So no, I don't miss it." I wasn't going to play his little game.

Larry shook the arm he was holding so hard that my teeth rattled. "Did your memories get jostled around with all the lies Michael told you about me?"

"Michael didn't tell me anything about you that I didn't already remember experiencing first hand." I glared at him. "Let's see if you remember a couple of these: making me sleep with no sheets or blankets because I wet the bed one night? Then threatening to break my fingers if I told Michael about it?" Even though I was so young at the time, I had vividly terrifying memories of that night. I continued when Larry didn't say anything; his forced optimism was starting to fail and I could see the smile melting off of his face. "Or how about when I cried because I missed my mother and you told me she never loved me in the first place?" I watched for any signs of recognition, but he just looked angry. I fired back right away, "Should I keep going, or is that enough?"

He looked like he was trying to get his temper under control before he said anything. He was gripping my arm so tight that his fingers were white, but I pretended like it didn't hurt. "Well I couldn't have been all that bad as your dad! I mean look at you, you turned out alright!" I was about to set him straight, but he cut me off by waving the knife in my face. "Listen, I'm not here to talk about my parenting skills. I'm starting a new business, and I need you to make it work."

I resisted the urge to laugh at the sudden change in topics. "What could you possibly need me for? I don't know anything about murder or being a horrible person like you. I think you have it covered."

Larry flashed a smile. "Look at you with those witty comebacks. You sound just like Michael Westen! You're getting me off track though. I need you for my new business because you're the perfect cover story. You could live with me and go to school just like you do here, and help daddy out on the weekends. A single dad with a daughter blends in more easily where we're going than a single man living alone. You can't pretend you don't wanna even try this." He waited for my response.

"Well tell me more about this, and I'll tell you how interested I am." I had to change tactics because I needed to stall him; Fi would probably be getting to the house soon and realize I was gone. It wouldn't take much thought to figure out where I went. I didn't have a lot of time left, and Larry seemed serious about taking me with him whether I wanted to go or not.

"Well I figured I should stick with what I know, and let's face it, I'm a pretty good killer. Plus, you're my good luck charm from back in the day. Maybe you'll enjoy watching your old man do something he's good at." Larry looked at me to respond.

I hadn't been paying attention; I had to think back to what he said. "Uh… you mean like a hit man?" I asked stupidly.

Larry frowned. "Yeah, like a hit man, kid. I see you didn't inherit my smarts, did you?" He laughed at his joke and went on talking. "You see…" I tuned him out and I started to discreetly check my surroundings. I was searching for cars but it was almost too dark to see the street. Michael had to be coming soon, right? All of a sudden, I couldn't hear Larry's voice droning on. I looked back at him and he was staring right at me. "I see you lookin' around. Do you think Michael's going to come save you?" He shook me again. "You don't need saving! You're with your father now."

I was starting to panic now. Where was Michael? I couldn't wait for him forever; I would have to try to escape myself. I exploded back at him, "Would you stop calling yourself my father? Fathers don't do this to their daughters!" I could tell I'd struck a nerve. Larry pulled me closer to him.

"Kid, you are somethin' else. I should have never left you with Westen. He filled your head with all this nonsense about me, and now he's got you brainwashed into thinking he's a hero." Larry looked unhinged.

"It was the best thing you could have ever done, leaving me with Michael! He's more of a father to me than you'll ever be!" With that said, I wrenched my arm out of his grasp and punched him in the face before he knew what was coming. I took off running down the beach, but I could feel him hot on my tail. Just as I got to the sidewalk he tackled me. I screamed as I felt my knees and elbows scrape against the sidewalk when I skidded across the ground, and then I felt the knife cut into my arm. Larry must have had it in his hand when he tackled me. He turned me over and held the knife at my throat.

"Look what you made me do! Now you know what happens when I get angry. Now come on, stop making a scene, we should really be going." He pulled me to my feet with the knife still at my throat. Right then, as if on cue, Michael, Sam, and Fi came running with guns in hand. Larry pushed the knife closer against my throat and said, "Don't come any closer, or I might let the knife slip."

Michael spoke first. "I think we both know I could kill you from this distance; I just wish you wouldn't make me do it in front of Lily." At Michael's threat, the knife pushed just hard enough to draw blood and I gasped. Michael looked enraged.

"You don't have the guts, kid." Michael's face was expressionless as Larry started to pull me in the other direction. I was starting to panic again, but then Sam cut in.

"Do you think I don't have the guts to kill you Larry? I've been waiting for this moment for years." Larry twisted around so we were facing Sam, and then Sam nudged his gun towards Fi. "What about her? Would you take your chances with all three of us?" Larry paused to look at Michael, Sam, and Fi. I realized they all had their guns trained on Larry's head. He had brought only a knife to a gunfight and was clearly outnumbered.

Michael spoke again. "You know you care about yourself more than you care about her. Let her go before I have to end this. And believe me Larry, I will end you." Larry seemed to debate this.

"Fine. I'll leave her alone and we'll go our separate ways. You at least owe me that, kid." Michael nodded in agreement, and Larry pulled the knife away. He pushed me towards Michael, and ran towards the street. Michael put his gun away and caught me as I stumbled into his arms. Sam and Fi kept their guns trained on Larry until he disappeared from sight.

I couldn't seem to put together a sentence as I sobbed in Michael's arms. I just kept saying, "I'm sorry," over and over again. I wasn't even sure if Michael could understand what I was saying. How could I have been so stupid? I left the house after specific instructions not to, and this is what I got for it. I berated myself again and again, and didn't snap out of it until I felt Michael gently shaking me. I was practically hyperventilating.

"Lily? Lily! Just calm down, you're scaring me. I'm not mad at you, I'm just happy you're safe. Sam and Fi went to get the Charger, we're going back to the loft."

I shook my head. "I just wanna go home." I couldn't even look Michael in the face. This was all my fault and I just wanted to go home and lay in my bed. I wanted to forget this ever happened.

"Well that's not happening. You're a mess, and we need to talk about what happened. I won't let you blame yourself for this." Michael said. His voice left no room for argument. I just nodded, and he put his arm around my shoulders and led me to the car.

…

I sat in the car in silence the whole way to the loft, and tried to ignore the looks I was getting from Michael, Sam, and Fi. They looked concerned, but I didn't want their sympathy. I deserved everything that happened to me. Before I knew it we had arrived.

Michael held his hand out. "Let's go inside. You can take a shower and then I'll take a look at those injuries." I nodded and took his hand. When we got inside the loft, everyone went towards the kitchen while I made my way upstairs. Luckily I had several changes of clothes here. I picked new clothes out and went into the bathroom where I took a look at my injuries. My knees and elbows were all scraped from skidding across the sidewalk when Larry tackled me. I also had a developing bruise on my arm from where he had been holding me, and cuts on my arm and neck from the knife. I shook my head at my appearance; I was a mess.

After I finished my shower, I still looked relatively the same, but without the sand and grit all over me. The tears had finally stopped, but I knew they would probably be returning soon. When I exited the bathroom, I noticed Sam and Fi had left and it was just Michael and me. He smiled when I walked up and patted the chair next to him.

I sighed. "Michael, I'm so sorry about this. I should have never gone out by myself. Fi told me to wait, and I just didn't listen. I had a horrible day and I just needed to get out of the house. It's all my fault…" I trailed off, sensing the waterworks coming on.

"Lily, I completely understand. This was a hard week for you, and nobody is perfect. Don't be too hard on yourself. Just do me a favor, and don't scare me like that ever again." Michael stood up. "You're a mess, let me get my first aid kit." I sat down in the chair and attempted to stop crying while he went to get the kit. Once I started crying, it was hard to stop and that made the situation all the more difficult to handle.

Michael cleaned the scrapes on my elbows and knees without comment and then he looked at my arm. "He had the knife in his hand when he tackled me, and it cut me." I explained. He nodded and looked closer at the cut.

"It's not that deep, so you won't need stitches. I'll just cover it so it doesn't get infected." He looked up at my neck and I tilted it upwards so he could get a closer look. "Same thing here. It will heal up in a few days." Michael covered both cuts with bandages, and then he spotted the developing bruise on my arm. He looked questioningly at it.

"He held my arm so I wouldn't run away." Michael's face was unreadable. He took a few deep breaths and sat down.

"Tell me everything that happened." He waited for me to begin.

"Well, I ran to the beach and I had just missed the sunset so I sat down to watch the waves. I heard someone come up behind me, and I thought it was you so I didn't turn around. I was wrong, obviously. Larry grabbed me and pulled out his knife. He said bad things would happen if I screamed, and then he asked me if I remembered him. I told him some of my more colorful memories, and then he got angry. It got really weird when he told me he wanted me to live with him so I could help him with his new business. It was some kind of hit man thing and he wanted me for his cover. I thought it sounded crazy, but I tried to lead him along to stall him. He noticed me looking for you and then he got angry again." I looked up at Michael and he nodded for me to continue. "He told me I had nothing to worry about because he was here now. He said you told me lies about him, and then I lost it. I punched him in the face and then ran away. He tackled me and then you know the rest. I don't even want to think what would have happened if you guys didn't show up." I wiped a few stray tears away and looked at Michael.

"What exactly were those colorful memories you told him about?" Michael and I hadn't talked about Larry in years; I could tell he was curious about what I had said.

The memories I had shared with Larry were two that I had never shared with Michael before because they were the worst ones. I almost didn't want to tell him now because I knew he would only get angrier, but I knew he wanted to know. "I remember wetting the bed one night, and instead of giving me a bath and new sheets, Larry just stripped my bed and made me sleep with no blankets. The worst part was, he told me he would break my fingers if I told you when you came over the next day."

Michael looked upset and said, "I wish I knew how bad it really was, Lily. Larry just hid it so well." He pulled me to his side, "What else did you tell him?"

"In the beginning when I could actually remember my mom, I used to cry because I missed her. Larry just told me she never loved me in the first place. After that, he burned the only picture I had of her. Now I couldn't even tell you what she looked like." I felt so pitiful spilling my darkest memories to Michael.

"I wish I could tell you more about her, but I never knew her. Do you ever think about her?" He asked gently.

I shook my head, "Not really. It's hard to think about people you don't remember. I wish I could forget about Larry, but he's very real."

Michael stood up and pulled me into a hug. "Larry was delusional if he thought he would ever be able to take you away from me. He's gone now, and you don't have to worry about him coming back." I wanted to ask Michael so much more, but I just couldn't face talking about Larry anymore.

"What if he does?" I asked. I never wanted to see Larry's face again, but I had a feeling he wouldn't stay away forever.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Michael responded. I nodded, knowing he couldn't give me a definite answer. "Are you tired? It's pretty late, and you won't be going to school tomorrow."

I was tired, but I couldn't even think of sleeping. What if he came back for me in the middle of the night? "I don't want to sleep. What about grandma? She doesn't know anything about this." I avoided Michael's eyes. I felt like I had taken advantage of the fact that grandma knew nothing about the happenings of the last week. I felt ashamed of myself.

"Lily, you have to trust me. Larry won't be coming back anytime soon. I'll sit with you all night if I have to, but you should really sleep. It's been a traumatic day. Don't worry about grandma. I'll figure out something to tell her." He gestured towards his bed. "Come on, you can sleep in my bed and I'll just be right over here." It made me feel better about sleeping knowing Michael would be up for a while longer.

I laid down on his bed and he ruffled my hair. "I noticed Larry had a shiner coming in on his cheek. That must have been some punch!"

"Well, I was taught by the best, and I've been waiting to do that for nine years." I responded, yawning. Michael smiled and went back to the table. I rolled over and tried to relax. After the crazy day, it was no easy feat but I eventually settled down and drifted off to sleep.

_I felt someone shaking me awake after what seemed like a few minutes. I blearily opened my eyes, and looked directly into the eyes of Larry. I opened my mouth to scream, but he put his knife against my throat. "I just killed Michael, so there is no point in screaming. Just come with your father and everything will be alright." Larry violently started pulling me out of the bed and towards the door…_

"Lily! Lily! It's just a dream, just calm down." I awoke to the sound of Michael's voice and I could feel his hands on my shoulders. I opened my eyes to find that Michael was staring intently at me. I launched myself into his arms with a feeling of immense relief. "It's okay, I'm right here." Michael soothed as he rubbed my back.

"That was so real. He came to take me away. He said he killed you." I whispered. I felt numb. I didn't want to let go of him because I was afraid he would disappear again.

"I'm right here, nothing happened. Just lay down. I'll sit with you till you fall asleep again." I nodded and lay back down on the bed. I was terrified to go back to sleep, but Michael kept rubbing my back, and eventually I drifted off again.

…

I awoke early the next morning, and felt a little embarrassed that Michael had let me sleep in his bed. I hoped he didn't think I was a baby for not wanting to be left alone. And on top of that, I had a nightmare and he had to sit with me before I went back to sleep again, like a child. I turned my head to look for Michael, and I didn't have to look far. He had pulled the green chair right next to the bed and fallen asleep in it. He probably slept in the chair because he didn't want to leave me alone. I carefully stepped around the chair and went to the bathroom. The bruise on my arm was darker than it had been last night and I felt like I was covered in bandages. I sighed at my reflection, resigned to the fact that I would look like I was involved in a bear attack for the next week. After my pity party, I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. All Michael had in his fridge was yogurt and beer, so I selected a blueberry yogurt and sat at the table to eat it.

As I ate, I saw that there was blood seeping through the bandage on my arm. I peeled it off and inspected the angry looking cut underneath. I put my finger to the cut, surprised to see that it was still bleeding sluggishly.

"Don't touch it." I jumped. Michael had walked up behind me and he inspected the cut before covering it back up again. "Dirty fingers and open wounds are a bad combination, trust me. It'll get infected if you don't keep it covered, Lil." He smiled and added, "How did you sleep?"

"Fine. You didn't have to sleep in that chair, you could have left me alone." I felt embarrassed.

"It was nothing." He replied. Just as I was about to respond, his cell phone rang. He rolled his eyes and answered. "Yeah mom…She's fine I just thought it was better for her to sleep here… Yeah I'll bring her back now." With that he hung up the phone. I was curious about what he told grandma last night; her voice sounded agitated through the phone.

"What did you tell her?" I asked.

"I told her you were running and had a nasty fall so you called me and I picked you up and brought you here." I smiled. That seemed simple enough to remember. I wish I could just pretend that was what happened to me. "Grandma wants to see you. Are you ready to leave?" He asked. He probably thought I was crazy because of the way I had acted last night.

"I'm fine, I'm feeling much better today. I just want to move on. Let's go." Michael nodded, and with that, we left the loft and headed for the house. Of course, grandma was at the door waiting.

She looked me over and then raised her eyebrows. "Were you running with a pair of scissors when you fell?" Grandma was looking at me questioningly, and I could tell she wasn't buying Michael's story. I smiled nervously and looked at Michael.

"She's fine, Ma. Just some bumps and bruises." Grandma just shook her head and walked away. I was glad she didn't ask any more questions. I was tired from last night, and all I could think about was being alone in my room for the rest of the day. I moved towards the stairs, but Michael grabbed my arm.

"Look, Lily. I know you need some time alone, and I respect that, but please don't beat yourself up about this. I'll give you your space for now, but call me if you need to talk or have a problem." Michael seemed so worried about me, and to be honest, I didn't even know what to say. I just wanted to be alone. I nodded and continued up the stairs. "Bye, Lily." Michael said as he walked out. His voice sounded sad, and I knew it was because of me.

"Bye." I responded. When I got to my room, I threw myself onto my bed trying to ignore the pain from the scrapes on my knees. _Why would I rather shut myself into my room than talk to Michael?_ I rolled onto my back and put my hands over my face, not knowing the answer to my own question.


	9. Chapter 9

Michael's Little Problem: Chapter 9

Miami, FL

Michael Westen POV

As Sam, Fi, and I sat at our regular table at the Carlito, I took a sip from my water while Sam drank his beer and Fi had a bloody mary. We were talking about a subject that seemed to be a constant in the last week. Lily, and what to do about her run in with Larry. "It's been over a week since I've heard from her." I started. "My mom called the other day and said she was worried about Lily. She said she can tell she hasn't been sleeping well, and she only leaves the house for school. I don't know what to do." I admitted. Sam and Fi stewed over this for a little while.

"What do you think she's upset about?" Fi asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "It could be a lot of things. I don't know whether she's traumatized, scared, or angry. Larry is her father, and that would be hard for me to stomach so I can't imagine how she's feeling right now."

Sam snorted into his beer. "If it was me, I'd go crazy. That man has to be one of the worst human beings I've ever met. He was lucky he didn't get a bullet in his head the other day." Sam had a no tolerance policy for Larry.

Fiona nodded in agreement with Sam. "That poor girl. Maybe she needs to let some tension out. I could take her to the shooting range. Or we could blow something up; I just got in a new shipment of C4…"

"I don't want Lily doing any of that, Fi. She just needs to talk, but she probably just wants to blame herself for what happened." Fiona's idea of letting tension out was much different than a normal person's idea.

Fi huffed. "Well, if you don't like my idea, then why don't you just go talk to her? Force it out of her, you're good at that." Fi angrily stirred her drink with a celery stick.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. I raised my eyebrows at Fi.

"Nothing, Michael. You always seem to get it out of Lily when she has a problem. She needs to understand this wasn't her fault. Now's your time to shine." I gave Fi a look, and then Sam cut in.

"It's not Lily's fault she has a son of a bitch for a father. If I were her, that's what I would be upset about." Sam shook his head and took another swig from his beer.

"Well, I guess I'll have to force her to talk to me. It's not good for her to take all this on by herself. I just have to think of a way to get her to open up." I racked my brain but came up empty. Ambushing Lily in her room seemed like a good option, but I didn't want my mother listening outside the door the whole time.

Fi suddenly spoke. "Take a run with Lily. She loves it, and she always talks a bunch when we run together." Fi was right. Running was one of Lily's favorite things to do, and she wasn't doing it now that she stayed in the house all the time. I was pretty confident I would be able to get Lily to open up, but we had to get out of the house first, and that might be a challenge. I would just have to be firm with her, even though I didn't like to force Lily to do things.

I stood up from our table, mind made up. "Well I guess I'd better go change if I'm going for a run." Fi smirked at me as I put my sunglasses on and walked away from the table.

…

My mother was waiting for me when I got to the house. I always wondered how she knew the exact moment I pulled up to the house, because the front door would always open right as the Charger rolled up to the curb. My mother came on full force as soon as I got through the doorway. "Michael, I want to know what's going on with Lily! She's been acting like a recluse ever since she came back with you the other day looking like she had a bar fight. I don't buy your excuse that she fell when she was running for one minute." She sat down at the kitchen table and lit a cigarette, clearly waiting for an explanation from me.

I sighed. "Lily is going through a tough time right now. She found out some unsettling news about her father last week, and I think she's depressed. She'll tell you what happened when she's ready." I didn't want to tell my mother everything that happened without Lily's consent. Plus, I wanted to leave this house with all my body parts intact.

My mother rolled her eyes at me. "Well, go fix her! She won't talk to me."

"I'm on it, ma." With that said, I made my way upstairs to Lily's room. The door was closed, so I knocked.

"Come in." I heard Lily's voice from inside the room. I opened the door and saw she was laying on her bed reading. I noticed she had taken the bandages off, and her injuries looked much better. They were all scabbed over and shrinking. The bruise on her upper arm from where Larry had gripped her still looked dark, but it was yellowing around the edges. The other thing I noticed was the bags under Lily's eyes. She looked like she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep for a while. Lily's eyes widened when she saw me.

"I was in the neighborhood and I thought I would go for a run. Seeing as you're an avid runner, I thought you might like to join me." I asked this as a question, but what Lily didn't know was that I wasn't taking no for an answer.

"I don't feel like it." She replied. Just as I thought.

I took a deep breath before I replied. I hated to be tough about this, but it needed to be done. "Well, I think we both know there's something going on that you need to talk about, so I'm not taking no for an answer. Where are your shoes?" I smiled, trying to pretend like I wasn't being the bad guy.

Lily huffed and rolled her eyes. She threw her book on the bed. "Fine, but I don't need to talk about anything." She grabbed her sneakers and hastily shoved them on.

"Whatever you say, kiddo." I was confident Lily would eventually open up to me, so I was happy. We stretched outside the house for a couple minutes, and then we were off and running. We ran for a couple minutes before I spoke. "So how does it feel to be outside? Grandma told me you don't leave the house except to go to school."

"I told you, I don't wanna talk about this." Lily said shortly. She sped up a little bit, trying to get some distance between us, but I was right back next to her in a few short seconds.

I tried to keep my temper under control, but Lily wasn't making this easy. "Well I do, so too bad. If we don't talk now I'll keep this up until we do. I think you know how persistent I can be. I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but I'll say it again. I won't let you do this to yourself." I wanted to say more, but I stopped myself there.

"What do you want to know?" Lily asked. I could tell this was that last thing she wanted to be discussing with me right now.

"I just want to know what's on your mind." I replied. Now was one of those times I wished I could read minds, but that's not something you learn when training to be a spy.

We ran for a few minutes before Lily spoke again. "You don't wanna know, Michael. It's just stupid stuff."

"Try me." I replied shortly; I just wanted Lily to open up to me.

"Alright, fine. I can't stop thinking about him. He left me for nine years without so much as a goodbye, and then he came back acting like I would want to see him again. Like absolutely nothing had changed in my life since the last time I saw him. He had to hold a knife to my face to get me to talk to him, yet he still wanted me to come live with him? He doesn't care about me at all…" Lily trailed off.

"Do you want Larry to care about you, Lil?" I asked. I was curious what Lily's feelings about Larry were.

"I don't know what I want. I guess… I guess the whole time he had me, I was thinking about the horrible things he made me do when I lived with him. And I did them because I wanted him to love me! But when he talked to me the other day I couldn't even think of him as my father. All I could think about was you. Every time you came to see me when I lived with him, I felt like you cared about me. You didn't want anything from me, you just wanted me to be happy. Why couldn't Larry be like you?" I could tell everything Lily had been thinking about for the past week was leaking out of her. We ran for a couple minutes before I answered her.

"You have to understand something about Larry, Lily. Everything he does, he does for himself. He thinks differently than most of us do."

Lily interrupted me. "I'm his daughter! Why wouldn't that change his perspective?"

"I don't know how to answer that question. Maybe he did the things he did when you lived with him because that was his own twisted way of showing you that he cared." I wished I could help Lily understand Larry's ways, but I didn't understand them myself.

"I just want him to care about me the way I used to care about him. I told him straight to his face about all the times I remembered him being a horrible father. It just hurts me that he treated me that way." Then she added, "I just wish he had been as good to me as you have always been." I felt my face grow hot and she spoke again, "I think there's just a small part of me that wants to have a father, but I just need to accept that Larry will never be the father I want."

"Lily, I appreciate that, but I'm not perfect either. I've done a lot of things I wish I could take back. Larry doesn't know the first thing about you, and he was wrong to talk to you like he did last week. I wish I could tell you that Larry will change his mind and start being a father to you, but I know he won't. He will always look out for himself first, and that's his major fault. Don't think of Larry as your family, think of what you have here. Grandma, Nate, Sam, Fi, me; we all have more love for you than you could ever imagine." Larry didn't deserve Lily's thoughts.

"I know I can't change the past, I just wish I could." Lily gestured towards the cut on her neck and the one on her arm. "My own father did this to me, and I guess that's just hard to forget."

I could definitely relate to this. My father had a very similar parenting style to Larry. "Believe me, I know it's hard to forget. My father and Larry sometimes seem like the same people. You just have to learn to forget about it. You need to move forward with your life, because you have a lot to live for, Lily." I said this just as we made it to the beach. It felt like five minutes since we had left the house, but we were already there. We sat in silence for a little while before Lily spoke again.

"You're right about all this. Larry doesn't deserve any of my thoughts. I feel much better now." Lily gave me a small smile, and that was enough to make this all worth it.

"I'm glad, Lil. I was worried about you. It's bad to keep things to yourself like that." She nodded, and I put my arm around her shoulder.

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Lily looked at me.

"I don't know, Lily. I think it's a possibility. If he does though, he knows he can't take you away. Is that why you aren't sleeping? Are you worried he'll come back?"

"Yeah, that's part of it. I keep having nightmares about him. In one he kills you, in another it's grandma, and sometimes he tries to kill me." Lily looked down at her shoes.

It was hard to stomach, thinking of her not being able to sleep because she had been dreaming of her father killing people she loved. "I'm so sorry, Lily. I know it's hard, but Larry will never take you away from us. What would make you feel better? I could spend a few nights at the house, I'll just sleep in Nate's room."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "You would do that?" She knew being in the house bothered me, and my mother drove me crazy.

"Of course, anything to make you feel better. Just say the word and I'll be there." I pulled Lily into my arms.

"Thanks, Michael." She hesitated before she spoke again. "Just for tonight?"

"Sure thing, kiddo. Don't hesitate to ask. I think we should probably tell grandma what's been going on with you. She's been really worried."

Lily took a deep breath. "What have you told her?"

"I told her you found out some unsettling news about your father and that you would tell her about it when you were ready." I looked at Lily, trying to read her facial expression. She seemed uneasy.

"Okay, I guess I could tell her what happened. Just don't make me tell her by myself, I know she'll ask a lot of questions and I'm not sure I want to answer all of them." I nodded; it seemed like a fair agreement.

"Well it's settled then. I'll tell grandma I'm going to spend the night, and then you can tell her what happened. Hopefully we will both escape unscathed." I stood up and smiled at Lily and held out my hand. She grabbed it and I pulled her up.

"Shall we?" She asked and gestured towards the running path. I agreed and off we went towards the house.

…

We arrived at the house thirty minutes later, and my mom was on the front porch watering her flowers. She looked up when she heard us on the front steps.

"Hi Lily, Michael. How was your run?" I could tell she was itching to find out about what we talked about.

"It was fine, ma. We sorted some things out, and Lily has something she wants to talk to you about. Isn't that right?" I looked at Lily.

Lily gave me a glare before she responded. "Yeah, grandma. I need to tell you something, maybe we could sit down in the kitchen?"

"Sure, honey. Let's go sit down." We walked into the house, and Lily started walking at a snail's pace.

I put my hands on her shoulders and steered her towards the kitchen at a faster pace. "Try to remember you aren't on trial, okay, kiddo? You look like you're on your way to the electric chair." She laughed and shrugged me off.

Once we were all sitting, Lily started. "Remember when Michael said I fell while I was running last week? Well, something else happened to me. A couple weeks ago, Michael found out my father was still alive. He had come into town to see me, but Michael wouldn't let him. That's why Sam and Fi were at the house so much a couple weeks ago. They were watching over me to make sure my father didn't try to come see me." Lily paused for a second and my mother cut right in with the questions.

"Wait a second." She looked at me. "You're telling me her father is still alive? You thought he was dead for nine years! And why would Lily need protection from him?"

I sighed. "I worked with Lily's father back in the day, and he wasn't a very nice person when Lily lived with him. Apparently he faked his death to get away from some trouble he was in, and when he came back, I didn't think it was a good idea for him to see Lily."

My mother looked furious. "So I'm guessing your plan to keep Lily away went terribly wrong?" She gestured towards the cuts on Lily's arm and neck.

I looked at Lily, and she was beet red. "Well…" Lily cut me off before I could think of what to say.

"It was my fault he got to me. Michael told me not to leave the house, but I really wanted to go for a run so I went, and he was waiting for me when I got to the beach I usually run to. I have these scrapes because I tried to run away from him and he tackled me." Lily hung her head, clearly upset, and I was glad she didn't bring up the cuts from the knife. That would have been too much for my mother to handle.

I put my arm around Lily's shoulders. "I think we were all at fault. Lily shouldn't have left the house, but someone should have been watching her. "

My mother glared at me. "I could have been watching her, Michael! Don't you think I should have known about this since I live with Lily? I'm practically her mother, do you think I'm some sort of fool who can't take care of her? It sure looks like you're doing a bang up job!" She gestured towards Lily again.

Lily shook her head. "I didn't want you to know, grandma! I didn't want you to be worried."

"You and Michael are both always so worried about me! Why won't you let me worry about you?" My mother seemed close to tears.

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be better if you didn't know, but from now on I'll tell you the truth if something is going on. Happy?" I wanted to drop this subject, and from Lily's face I could tell she wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor.

"Fine, Michael." She got up, kissed Lily on the forehead and went upstairs, still clearly upset. Lily put her head on the table.

"That went swell, didn't it?" She said in a sarcastic voice. I groaned in agreement. It was going to be a long night.

…

Lily Sizemore POV

Grandma didn't come back downstairs until a couple hours later. Michael and I had just finished a game of yahtzee (which I had won), and Michael was groaning about his bad luck when she appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"I mean, you rolled yahtzee twice and I couldn't even roll one six when I really needed it. I'm thinking that was some sort of fluke." Michael rolled his eyes in frustration and I just grinned at him. "Maybe we should try playing on a different table?" He suggested.

"Michael, I didn't think you'd still be here!" Grandma seemed to have gotten over her bad mood and was back to her usual level of excitement.

Michael smiled, not quite returning grandma's level of excitement. "Well, since Lily has been having trouble sleeping, I figured I would spend the night in Nate's room."

Grandma smiled and gave Michael a kiss on the cheek. "How wonderful! You're so supportive, Michael." Michael smiled and nodded while I laughed behind grandma's back. Grandma could be so sappy sometimes.

Before I knew it, it was already time for bed. I had been dreading going to sleep every night, and tonight wasn't much different even though Michael was here. I hated that I asked him to spend the night here, but maybe tonight would be different with him here. Maybe I could actually get a good night's sleep knowing he was here to protect me should my nightmares come to life.

After saying goodnight to grandma and Michael, I laid down in bed, read a chapter in my book, and then turned off the lights. After a long day, it didn't take me very long to fall asleep at all.

_I awoke to a door slamming, and jumped out of bed. I listened intently for the source of the noise, and I heard a voice. "Where is she?" My stomach dropped as I realized who the voice belonged to. I heard footsteps coming towards my bedroom and I looked around the room for a place to hide. With nothing coming to mind, I slid under the bed right before the door opened. I held my breath as I saw his feet moving around the room. "I know you're in here, Lily. Come out now, or you won't like what happens." I heard the flick of the knife being opened, and he paused. I closed my eyes and barely breathed; I could tell he was listening. When I opened my eyes I didn't see his feet anymore. The coast was clear so I inched out from under the bed. "There you are." I heard Larry's sinister voice and screamed as he grabbed my hair and I saw the flash of the knife. _

I shot up in bed with a gasp. I was all tangled in the sheets and breathing hard from my nightmare. I wanted nothing more than to run into Nate's room, but I stayed where I was. I was a big girl; I could handle this myself. Just as I told myself this, the door opened, and I scooted back in my bed in shock.

"It's just me. Calm down." I heard Michael's voice and instantly relaxed. He made his way into the room and sat on my bed. I launched myself into his arms. How did he know?

"How did you know?" I gasped.

Michael looked guilty. "Well, I might have planted a bug in your room while you were in the bathroom. I knew you wouldn't tell me even if you had a dream, so I took matters into my own hands." I raised my eyebrows. Typical spy.

"That's not creepy at all, Michael." I replied sarcastically, still trying to catch my breath.

"Just the tools of the trade." He said with a smile as he rubbed my back. I smiled into his shirt, already starting to forget my dream.

"What was this one about?" He asked.

"He came to the house, and I hid under the bed so he wouldn't find me. I thought he was gone, so I slid out from under the bed, but then he just appeared. He grabbed me by the hair and that's when I woke up." Michael patted my back and chuckled. What could possibly be so funny?

"You have the most vivid dreams I've ever heard! Most of the time mine are about stupid things like getting a haircut or going to the grocery store to pick out yogurt! I would trade with you any day, Lil. It would keep me on my toes." Of course Michael would think it was fun to have dreams of people trying to kill you. I guess that was just the life of a spy.

I smiled. "Well, I'm glad I could amuse you. At least one of us is happy." I yawned and added, "Thanks for being here, Michael. This helps a lot."

Michael smiled at me. "No problem, kiddo. Just know I'll always be there for you, even if I have to put a bug in your room to get the point across." Michael ruffled my hair and then left the room.

I laid back down in my bed, and thought to myself for the first time since all this started, _for now,_ _everything is going to be okay_.

The End.

…

A/N: I'm thinking about writing a sequel, would anyone have any interest?


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